Popular community Thanksgiving dinner will return to Hilton Head this year. What to know
A Hilton Head Island tradition that was canceled last year due to COVID-19 is returning for the holidays.
The annual Thanksgiving dinner at Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks is back in 2021. The family-style meal will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 25.
“It’s just lovely,” said Andrew Carmines, owner of Hudson’s. “We’re just super excited.”
Last year’s cancellation was prompted by warnings from health authorities that COVID-19 cases might surge after holiday events.
“It created a pretty big void,” Carmines recalled in a Monday interview.
He added that he had previously not realized how important the meal is to the community. The tradition began in 1999.
In 2021, organizers will encourage volunteers and attendees at the Thanksgiving dinner to wear face masks, Carmines said, and will decide whether any additional coronavirus restrictions are needed as the holiday approaches.
COVID-19 cases have dropped in recent weeks following a devastating summer surge, but health experts are casting a wary eye toward the winter.
More than 1,500 people gathered at Hudson’s in 2019 to share company over the food, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Around 350 volunteers spent the holiday serving the community, too.
The 2021 dinner is sponsored by the waterfront restaurant and St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church. Roughly 200 people have already signed up to volunteer, Carmines said Monday.
The meal is free, but volunteers accept donations to benefit The Deep Well Project, Second Helpings and Bluffton Self Help.
The menu this year: roasted turkey breast, orange maple glazed ham, Miss Bessie’s braised ham hock collards, tart cranberry conserve, “turkey spiked” whipped potatoes, marshmallow crusted sweet potato soufflé, giblet gravy, southern cornbread stuffing, sliced French baguettes, banana pudding, holiday spiced pumpkin pie and lattice apple pie.
