A crowd showed up at the Trotter Convention Center in downtown Columbus on Tuesday.
The occasion was Mayor Robert Smith’s annual Thanksgiving luncheon, which ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event honored area resident 55 years of age or older.
It has been held eight times now. Last year, about 900 people attend. On Tuesday, roughly 1,160 people came, Smith said. Chairs had to be set up around the walls to accommodate the crowd.
The mayor explained that the event is the city’s chance to give back to Columbus’ senior citizens. It also gives people an opportunity to see old friends and make new ones. Many attendees have been before and the event keeps growing, Smith said.
Area school students, members of Columbus Air Force Base and other community volunteers participated.
The event was paid for by business sponsorships and proceeds from a fundraiser held this summer featuring Columbus native and Minnesota Vikings head football coach Leslie Frazier.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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