The table is set. The food is warm. The prayers are said. Today, the Albert Lea Tribune gives thanks for a good year by offering a hearty Thanksgiving meal.

 

A slice of turkey …

… to Seth Heidorn at Debruce Grain … to Albert Lea Community Theatre … to fourth-grade teachers Mark Nechanicky and Kristin Kyllo of Lakeview Elementary School … to State Farm’s Nancy VanderWaerdt … to Larry Forster of the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club … to Victoria Magner of Wells Fargo in Blue Earth … to Tom Sorensen of Americana Insurance … to Maddie Weniger of the — sing it! — Y.M.C.A. … to Connie Kabrud of Troop 7 Boy Scouts … to Lisa Rippentrop of Lia Sophia …

 

Mashed potatoes with gravy …

… to Ginna Gullickson at Freeborn County Environmental Services … to Sunday School director Jenny Edwin of First Lutheran Church … to Cali Christiansen, a stylist at Expressions Salon … to Joe Malone and Baily Venum … to Samantha Register at The Children’s Center … to Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever … to Oak Park Place’s Joyce Nixon, for infectious enthusiasm … to Jenny Hrdalo of Kwik Trip … to Mary Umstead of Mary-Go-Round … to the staff at Southwest Middle School … to all the Bruces with the last name of Palmer living in Albert Lea … to newborn Keegan Andrew Johnson …

 

Green bean casserole …

… to Roger Lonning at the Freeborn County Historical Society … to day care helper Holly Bohlen … to Albert Lea City Manager Chad Adams … to Nick Davis and Eric Flaten … to Faribault County Sheriff Mike Gormley … to Alden’s Dave and Darcy Sime … to sisters Samantha Klukow and Natalie Runden … to St. John’s administrator Scot Spates … to Nick Boyer and Tami Politz of Ventura Foods … to cool people Cal and Barb Johnson …

 

A glass of apple cider …

… to the staff at United Preschool … to Lighthouse Event Center co-owner Celeste Krause … to Connie Kaupa at the Shell Rock River Watershed District … to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion in Albert Lea … to Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball coach Dan Fredrickson … to Jill and David Suess … to 88-year-old Andy Dyrdal, an available bachelor … to Tribune customer Robert Edwin … to Tribune advertiser Amy Willett … to Pat Reinke, a friendly friend …

 

A side of stuffing …

… to Pat Strothman, who sends us the bowling scores … to Glenville-Emmons High School science/agriculture teacher Angie James … to Albert Lea children’s librarian Patti Greibrok … to Alden-Conger volleyball coach Jolene Bute … to Aaron Worm of KATE Radio … to story idea provider Al Kaderabek … to Dennis Distad, who audits and treasures at the same time … to Jodie Distad, for a nice interview … to Jodi Davis, owner of Etcetera Tanning … to newborn Larry Schmeltzer … to Sarah Vulcan … to Amber McCornack of HeartWaves Studio …

 

Some cranberry sauce …

… to newborn Brooklyn May Leistikow … to Alice Schulte, the administrative assistant at the Albert Lea school HQ … to Albert Lea Police Department Lt. J.D. Carlson … to Conger Meats … to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Wells … to NRHEG football coach Dan Stork … to Kathy Niebuhr of the Albert Lea Area Schools … to Les Shaunce, guardian for Honor Flights … to Kerin Madson of Dinah’s Style … to Daybreaker Kiwanian Matt Greibrok … to Becci Anderson from Main Street McDonald’s for delivering coffee and cookies …

 

Homemade pumpkin pie …

… to Robert Hoffman, a good property manager … to John Double, the new activities director at Albert Lea High School … to the caring staff at Naeve Hospital, er, we mean Albert Lea Medical Center, er, we mean Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea … and to the caring staff who help many Albert Leans when they are transferred to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester … to Amanda Weiss of the United Way of Freeborn County … to neighborly neighbor Paula Twedt …

 

An empty place setting …

… for Randy Whelan … for Geri Murtaugh … for Kathy Woodside … for Chuck Alberts …

 

Leftovers …

… to Jasper, a boy cat on Frank Hall Drive … to a yellow Lab on 708th Avenue named Lucky … to Maisy, a tiger-striped tabby on Second Avenue … to Chance, a miniature pinscher of Park Avenue … to Sheeba, a German shepherd mix from Alden … to a goldendoodle named Dolly on North Shore Avenue … to a plush toy called Purple Tiger … to Sabrina, a gray girl kitty on Harmony Avenue … to a black Lab named Raven of Fountain Street … to Molly and Scout of Grand Avenue … to Lindsey, a girl golden retriever of Emmons … to Bella, a rescued kitty from Lake Mills, Iowa … to Sydney, a goldendoodle of Lloyd Place … to Angel, a cocker spaniel of Second Avenue … to goldfish Woodward and Bernstein of the Tribune newsroom.