By Sara Sipe EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Working on Thanksgiving. New to Big Sky. Away from family. These are some of the reasons the Big Sky community turned out at the seventh annual Friendsgiving dinner hosted by our neighbors at The Wilson hotel. And boy, did they turn out.
What started in 2018 as an idea to feed a few hundred or so community members that work on actual Thanksgiving, has today grown into a Big Sky staple. This year an estimated 1,200 folks passed through the ballroom at The Wilson for a festive meal and good company, and there were a lot of different reasons people showed up. Some, like me, were there to volunteer. In addition to signing up to help with the actual meal serving and clean up, there were also plenty of opportunities to provide support to other local organizations there to help. All were there in hopes of making everyone feel welcome not only to Thanksgiving dinner, but to Big Sky.
According to The Wilson hotel General Manager Mandy Hotovy, who was part of the first and each subsequent Friendsgiving, “The main reason we have Friendsgiving each year is to be part of the community and to make sure that everyone feels like they have friends to spend time with around the holidays.”
Living in a resort town can be amazing. We get to meet people from all over the country, and world. In addition to visitors, eager diners hailed from all over, many seasonal workers that had just arrived in Big Sky this week.
There were a lot of long-time locals there too. Ash Russell is one such worker. Hailing from England, he landed in Montana just four days ago.
“This is my first Thanksgiving and I am quite excited,” said Russell, stopping to chat as he worked the front desk assisting volunteers and ushering guests into line for dinner. “This is really exciting for me. There is a lot of community spirit.”
Another aspect of working in a resort town is you are very likely working on Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays. Although the energy and excitement in the room were palpable, with the din of happy voices mingling with the sounds of silverware scraping against plates, I was mindful that the holidays are not always so joyous for everyone. For many, being away from family during this time of year can be challenging.
“We are here at The Wilson to take advantage of the opportunity to get some face-to-face time with people that are new in town or that have been in town awhile, and talk about the mental health services that are available at Wellness In Action, making sure people know there is a place to go if they are struggling,” said Hope Finch, a community health worker for local nonprofit Wellness In Action.
In addition to dinner, guest also had the opportunity to support Wellness In Action by purchasing a ticket to their annual Holly Jolly Raffle, or by throwing a pie. Some of Big Sky’s finest volunteered to take one for the team on behalf of raising awareness to the importance of mental wellness—by taking a pie to the face. Ten bucks got me a ticket to win cash and fabulous prizes. Another ten bucks got me the chance to sling a whooped cream pie and Jeremy Harder. That was money well spent! Other notable targets included Grace Young from the Big Sky Resort tax board, Big Sky born-and-raised Andrew Robin, and several members of the dirtbag royal court.
We live in a community of caring and compassionate people including those who host events like this, such as The Wilson hotel—and for that I am thankful.
Sara Sipe has lived in Big Sky since 2009. She is an accountant by trade, but her true passion is being of service to others in Big Sky through charitable work and community building. In her free time, she enjoys live music, creative writing, pottery, and painting.
Big Sky Community Spotlight is a short column that is meant to shine a light on those in Big Sky doing important work. Whether it be a profession, hobby or volunteer work, Big Sky is home to interesting people that do interesting things and as our community grows, it is important to stay connected to our neighbors and local businesses. This is more easily done if we know more about one another. We hope you enjoy getting to know your neighbors!
