The group has been serving Thanksgiving dinner to its members for 30 years.
By Lisa Chmelecki
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Jerry Taylor used to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner by hiding cans of beer throughout the house.

He put one in the medicine cabinet, one in his bedroom, one in the kitchen cupboard, one outside.

“I had them all over the place,” the 58-year-old said.

As soon as his parents arrived, he would disappear for a few minutes at a time. He chugged a beer, then returned to his seat. By the time the pies were on the table, he was plastered and ready to cause a scene.

“I don’t remember the details, but they certainly were not pleasurable events,” Taylor said. “They were disasters.”

These days, Taylor prepares for Thanksgiving in a much different way.

He’s planning to be up at 6 a.m. Thursday to put one turkey in the oven, prepare another to be deep fried and begin setting tables for 30 to 40 recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

Then he expects to peel dozens of potatoes and cut up carrots, broccoli and celery.

For the past four years, Taylor has been in charge of putting on Thanksgiving dinner at the Twelve Hour Club.

Located on Lisbon Street, the club provides a safe place for recovering addicts to hang out, drink coffee, play cards and talk with people who understand firsthand the struggles of getting sober.

It is open from morning until night, seven days a week. And the holidays are some of its busiest times.

“The holidays are really rough for many people,” said Taylor, who has been sober for 20 years. “The Twelve Hour Club provides a safe environment for them.”

Thanksgiving dinner has been a tradition since the club opened 30 years ago. As its membership grew, so did the spread.

This year’s menu begins with fresh fruit and two vegetable trays, followed by turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, squash, peas and several pies.

Beverages will include soda, milk, juice, tea and coffee.

Linn Bowker, 49, will join the group for the 10th year in a row.

He went for the first time right after he got sober and his family left him.

For years, he had Thanksgiving dinner at his in-laws’ house. He was usually passed out in an upstairs bedroom before dinner was served, disappointing his wife and kids.

Taylor also remembers the effect of his alcoholism on his family. It seemed especially painful around the holidays.

He recalled tossing a Christmas tree through the window because he couldn’t get a strand of lights to work. He remembered waking up one Christmas morning on the floor in the corner of a grocery store with a bottle of wine between his legs.

“Drinking made me do insane things,” he said. “The hardest part is thinking about the hurt and pain on the family, the kids waiting and waiting for the turkey.”

This year, Taylor will make sure nobody has to wait for dinner. Everything, down to the floral centerpieces on the tables, will be ready when the guests begin arriving at 12:30 p.m.

lchmelecki@sunjournal.com

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