Calorie counters put away the bathroom scales — the holidays are just around the corner and three local churches will jump start the season with their annual fundraising dinners, which will include traditional Thanksgiving fare and a spaghetti meal.
Crawford Street United Methodist Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal will offer a turkey and dressing dinner. Traditionally both churches have held their dinners on Thursday’s —a week a part — and this year will be no different with Crawford Street’s dinner scheduled for Thursday and Holy Trinity’s dinner will be held on Nov. 20.
Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church will hold their annual spaghetti dinner within the same seven-day time frame as the downtown churches, and they have scheduled their annual spaghetti dinner for Nov. 15.
Nancy Ballard, who is serving as the chairman of the dinner at Gibson Memorial said that it was by design that the church chose to serve a spaghetti meal.
“They started doing spaghetti this time of year because everybody else was doing turkey and dressing,” Ballard said.
Each of the churches will also hold bake sales that will run simultaneously with the dinners and Gibson Memorial and Crawford St. will offer bazaars.
The bake sale is always successful,” Ballard said.“We have some really good cooks.”
Favorite items include canned pickles, jellies and jams, she said.
Both Gibson Memorial and Crawford Street will host a church bazaar that will offer handmade items for sale.
Hooded towels, hand stamped note cards and seasonal handmade items that include embroidered pillows will be for sale at Crawford Street’s bazaar, said Linda Turner.
Turner along with Lewis Decell are two of the church members who will be contributing to the bazaar.
“I made some bird houses last year for the bazaar and they asked me if I would make some again this year,” said Decell.
Take out meals are available at all three churches and Logan Peay, the chairman for the turkey dinner at Holy Trinity said of the 800 dinners they prepare, the bulk of the meals sold are take-outs.
“About 600 of our dinners are take-out,” Peay said.
This year marks Gibson Memorial’s 42nd year to hold the spaghetti dinner and Holy Trinity and Crawford Street combined have more than 180 years experience putting on their respective turkey dinners.
Members from the churches said the money raised from their fundraisers goes toward local, national and global missions.
All groups agreed that even though the fundraisers are sponsored by each of the churches women’s groups — the United Methodist Women and the Episcopal Church Women —church wide participation is required.
Susan Kendall, one of the chairmen for the dinner at Crawford Street said seeing everyone come together and work is a highlight of the day.
“It’s just like one big production and it works,” she said.

Schedule for dinners:
• Crawford Street United Methodist Church —11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday; Wesley Hall, 900 Crawford St.; $10; includes turkey, dressing, corn pudding, green beans, roll, dessert and tea; 601-636-5612.
• Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday; 335 Oakridge Road; $6; includes spaghetti, coleslaw, bread and a dessert; 601-636-2605.
• The Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal —11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20; McInnis Parish Hall, 920 South St.; $10; includes turkey, dressing, green beans, cranberry salad, a roll and dessert; 601-636-5612, www.churchoftheholytrinity.org.