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 …

… for all veterans, who fought bravely for our freedoms … for the Revs. John Holt and Kyle Fever of First Lutheran Church … for Lisa Haney, a second-grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary School … for Kevin LaFrance with Home Federal Savings Bank … for little buddy Ben Schultz … for plumber Jim Kelley … for Becky Johnson of Between Friends Boutique … for Matt Sime of YMCA Camp Pepin … for good neighbor Carol Matthews …

 

Mashed potatoes and gravy …

… for little baby Sylvia Kelly Natzel … for Mrs. Gerry’s Salads, for saying yes … for Robert Hoffman, who other candidates agreed had the best campaign signs, which said “I (heart) A.L.” … for Hy-Vee’s Steve Shahan … for Kibble Equipment’s Craig Kryson … for blind man Bob Cotton (of Budget Blinds, of course) … for Curtis Smith of Red Carpet Car Wash, Arrow Printing and Skyline Plaza … for J.D. Carlson of the Albert Lea Police Department … for nice customer Tom Wentzler …

 

Green bean casserole …

… for Greg Seegar of Albert Lea Electric … to Albert Lea magazine cover stars Carrie Boyer Olvera, Jolene Bute, Heidi Blankenship, Emily Troe, Shiela and John Shultz and Tracy Brenegan … for Pam Nelson, a soccer mom who sends in photos … for Curt Clarambeau of Curt’s Pharmacy … for little baby Ender Allen Otterman … for Judy Enright, Shawn O’Connor, Darwin Peterson, John Johnson and the rest of the Riverland Community College grounds crew … for Bookkeeping Cents owner Laurie Sistek …

 

A glass of apple cider …

… for all area athletes for their hard work and great entertainment … for Lisa Ziebell, the stat-providing Glenville-Emmons coach for many sports … for little baby Sophia Kay Koeppe … for Sharon Summers, a great mom … for Paul Schuster at Vern Eide Chevrolet … for friend Jennifer Levisen … for Annette Petersen at Senior Resources … for Wendy Flugum of Albert Lea City Hall … for Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever …

 

A side of stuffing …

… for Albert Lea cross country coach Bryce Gaudian, who provides professional quality photos from meets, making it easier for us to publicize the team when we cannot be there in person … for Patty Lesto at Mayo Clinic Health System of Wells … for always-happy Tiffany Kriesel at Freeborn Lumber … for Stacy Palmer and Ellen Kehr with the Blue Zones … for good friend Gene Berghoff … for Dan Dorman of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities … for Diane Wichmann at St. John’s Lutheran Community …

 

Some cranberry sauce …

… for Albert Lea volleyball coach Lisa Deyak for the way she provides statistics already formatted to Tribune style … for Lake Mills volleyball coach Jim Boehmer, setting the bar high for what a coach should be … for little baby Ryder Michael Poirier … for the Kenisons … for the Goskesons … for concrete volunteers Art Schorn, Mike Tabor, Zach Godtland and Gaylen Wacholz … for Joyce Purdy, the office manager with the Albert Lea Art Center …  for pleasant customer Linda Schultz Nelson …

 

Homemade pumpkin pie …

… to Brandi Hagen of Bragen Rights Photography … for Julia Thompson of the Freeborn County Shopper … for day care providers Chelsey Schumaker, Kristie Lau and Deb Baas … for nice neighbor Katie Cords … for Angie Stickfort, owner of Cheers Liquor … for Joey Neely of the Copper Kitchen … for youth baseball coach Tom Jones … for Albert Lea school board member Jill Marin and Albert Lea City Councilor George Marin …

 

Leftovers …

… for Zoey, a Maltipoo on Second Street in Wells … for Murphy, a emboldened golden in the Bricelyn area … for Kip, a mix of a black Labrador and bulldog taking care of Ulstad Avenue … for Sydney, a golden doodle running a place along Lloyd Place … for Jack, a rescued Pomeranian promenading on Fountain Street … for Chance, a miniature pinscher parked on Park Avenue … for Alta, a Lab-terrier mix who wags her entire butt in a yard on Fountain Street … for Marley, a long-haired domestic cat cuddling his favorite human on East Fourth Street … for Neptunne, a kitty cat on First Avenue in Lake Mills …