After Nearly 50 Years, A Nantucket Thanksgiving Tradition Endures

Inside the Byron L. Sylvaro Post 82 American Legion hall on Washington Street on Thursday morning, it's controlled chaos as preparations for Nantucket's largest Thanksgiving celebration reach their peak.

A group of volunteers has come together to renew a decades-long tradition and feed hundreds of islanders. The 46th annual “Babe” Patterson Thanksgiving dinner is more than just a meal. It's a gesture of goodwill and a community ritual that has endured for nearly 50 years.

The tradition began as a way to feed those who didn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving - the folks with no family on the island - and it has evolved into a sprawling act of kindness and generosity that also feeds hundreds of people who find themselves working on the holiday. A handful of island businesses donate food and other items, and the Sons of the American Legion make the magic happen.

On Thanksgiving, more than 600 meals will be served during the Babe Patterson dinner, including more than 150 delivered to island residents working at the Nantucket Police and Fire Departments, Nantucket Memorial Airport, the Our Island Home nursing home, members of Coast Guard Station Brant Point, Steamship Authority and Hy-Line Cruises personnel, and many others on duty during the holiday.

Babe's son, Jim, and grandson, Eric, along with a host of volunteers, keep the tradition going.

“This all started out as my father’s idea for somebody who doesn’t have a place to go, doesn’t have family on the island, to come out in a casual scene and have a meal on us,” Patterson told the Current. “On Thanksgiving Day, it's a nice scene. It’s like family. It’s a big family. It’s really cool.”

All photos below by Charity Grace Mofsen