Among the volunteers from the Stratton-Eustis area who have worked on the Maine Special Olympic community supper for more than 20 years, which will be held this year on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at Sugarloaf, are (left to right) Lucille Pepin, Betty Wyman, Theresa Barker and Brenda Ackerman. (Laura Dunham photo) WESTERN MOUNTAINS — Just what would you do if you had 800 people coming to your house for dinner on Sunday night? Just ask the some 100 volunteers from Coburn Gore to New Portland, some of whom have been working on the Special Olympics community supper for more than 20 years at Sugarloaf.

On Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. once again dinner will be served at to more 550 athletes from the Maine Special Olympics. The community dinner, which some have deemed the largest “potluck dinner” in the State, was first organized by Joyce Demshar and Kitty Jones.

Jones and her husband, Ted, now contact the restaurants The Bag, Tufulio’s, Longfellow’s and the Kingfield Woodsman to make the three to four five-gallon pails of soup. “Kitty does the calling she said and Ted does the delivering.”

Among those on the Kingfield team who for more than 20 years has helped to put on a community supper for the Maine Special Olympic are Darlene Boyce, representing Tranten’s Family Market a major food provider, Yvonne and Candace Woodcock, who have worked in the kitchen for more than 20 years and Diane Christen, owner of the Kingfield Woodsman Restaurant, one of the soup-makers. (Laura Dunham photo) For about the past six years, the Gifts of Love in Kingfield makes about 100 chop suey casseroles. The tins for the casseroles are picked up at Tranten’s Family Market, which supplies all the ingredients for the casseroles, then the finished product, which is stored at Tranten’s, is delivered to the Sugarloaf Base Lodge on Sunday afternoon.

Meredith Chase of Kingfield offered sleigh rides to participants of the Maine Special Olympics held Monday and Tuesday at Sugarloaf/USA. (Laura Dunham photo, Sentinel Feb. 3, 1988) Two of the volunteers who have worked on the Sunday night dinner are sisters

Yvonne and Candace Woodcock. “It’s great how the food service at Sugarloaf just let’s us go into the Base Lodge and take over the kitchen where we spend Sunday afternoon warming casseroles, making cookies, putting away supplies from the volunteers who carry everything in for the dinner,” said Candace.

Then there is the mountain of dishes that have to be done. There is a core of about 8 to 10 volunteers in the kitchen while about 50 volunteers get ready to serve all the food.

“It’s a great experience... it’s a lot of hard work but the Olympians come first. When they look up at you and smile and say ‘that’s good,’ it’s all worth while,” said Yvonne.

Carrabassett Valley Academy students (left to right) Cameron Rust of New Brunswick, Chris Denny of Connecticut and Josh Platner of Carrabassett Valley will be among those collecting cans in the “Ton of Love Food Drive.” (Laura Dunham photo, Sentinel Dec. 12, 1986) The Woodcocks said that the best part is when the some 15 game wardens under the direction of retired Warden Blaine Holding come in to help wherever they can. “We even have a stainless steel canoe paddle” they can stir the soup with. “It’s such a special event and heart warming,” said the Woodcocks.

Steve Pierce, the Winter Games Director at Sugarloaf since it started in 1980 is a “little bit overwhelmed” by all these wonderful people who cook, serve and give of their time for the Olympians.

Volunteer Kate Webber of Carrabassett Valley (right) assists Greg Phillips of Gardiner in Alpine trials. (Laura Dunham photo, Sentinel Feb. 2, 1988) On Thursday Pierce was on hand at a gathering of some of those who have worked on the dinner for more than 20 years in the Stratton-Eustis area. Meeting at the Community Building in their new kitchen one of those organizers, Brenda Ackerman, said that for years volunteers made some 50 turkey pies along with some 60 desserts which were transported to the mountain Sunday afternoon. For the past six years volunteers have been baking some 10 pounds of beans and some 30 pounds of ham along with hot biscuits for the dinner.

Ackerman added that everyone goes the extra mile when she calls the 80 or so people on her list to make food items.

“You could ask the late Mildred Luce to make three dozen cookies and she would show up with 12 dozen,” said Ackerman. Barbara Williams and Carol Gray would cook the turkeys and then do five dozen desserts. “We used to use three vehicles to transport all the food to the mountain on Sunday afternoon,” now, Brenda said that her husband Randy has it down to a science where he uses just one vehicle putting the food items in a layer on plywood.

Among those attending a planning meeting for the upcoming 20th annual Maine State Special Olympic Winter games at Sugarloaf/USA were (front): games director Steve Pierce of Carrabassett Valley Maine; Special Olympics Director Mickey Boutilier; (back) Sugarloaf representative Mary Whited; Lindy MacKinnon, a junior at the Carrabassett Valley Ski Academy; and volunteer food worker Carla Keoskie of Kingfield. (Laura Dunham photo, Sentinel Nov. 15, 1990) “It’s a sight to see,” said Ackerman when all the food arrives at the Community Building ready for delivery.

At Ayotte’s Country Store in Carrabassett Valley said Pierce, “they focus on what we need... from the dinner to sandwiches the next day.” Kentucky Fried Chicken now provides the dinner for Monday night for the Banquet of Champions.

On Sunday night following the community dinner there is free skating and a sing-a-long at the Touring Center.

It was back on Feb. 2, 1988 when that event was called off due to such a warm day that the ice melted.

Pierce agreed that it would be almost impossible to name all the volunteers who have helped over the years to make the Maine Special Olympic Winter games and most of all the potluck community dinner such a success, but they know who they are, said Pierce.