The ninth annual Sharion Bailey Whitlock Soul Food Community Dinner: Good Food for the Body and Soul is set for noon today in the rear parking lot of the TAC House, 1101 N. West Ave.
The dinner is free and open to the public and food will be served in a drive-through format.
As organizers wrapped up last-minute odds and ends Friday, they issued reminders and a few additional details to answer questions they have received about the event.
Veronica Bailey, founder and CEO of Meet Me at the Court -- who, along with The Bailey Family, is presenting the dinner -- stressed that the dinner is free.
Bailey encouraged anyone, in or outside El Dorado, who would like a plate to simply bring their appetite.
Plates will include traditional Thanksgiving fare, dessert and a beverage. Plates and eating utensils will be wrapped and tied inside a plastic bag.
Food service will begin immediately after the opening prayer at noon, Bailey said.
"We're going to start at 12 (p.m.) and we will be there until all the food is served," she said.
She also noted that walk-ups are welcome.
"We had a man that came last year at 11:15 (a.m.) and he said, 'Ms. Bailey, I don't have a car so I walked. Is that alright?' Yes, that is alright," said Bailey, adding that she has received similar inquiries this year.
"If they're not in a vehicle to do the drive-through, they can come through walking. It's OK. We're going to feed them. We'll do a 'walk-through,'" she said with a laugh.
The deadline to request delivery service ended at 10 a.m. Friday and Bailey said organizers will be delivering plates all over El Dorado and Union County today.
"We did get some that are not in El Dorado but they are in Union County and I will honor those also," she said. "They did not have to live in El Dorado. We are going to areas that are in Union County."
Bailey also reminded area residents that in the event of inclement weather, the dinner will go on. Activities will be moved underneath the Col. Frank Hash Tailgate Pavilion.
2022 veteran honorees
The Sharion Bailey Whitlock Soul Food Community Dinner: Good Food for the Body and Soul also pays tribute to veterans, first responders and educators.
El Dorado police Chief Kenny Hickman will serve as grand marshal for the event and two local U.S. Army veterans, Essie Tubbs and Bobby Hardrick, will receive plaques in recognition of their military service.
Tubbs served in the Army for 40 years, enlisting in March of 1980 and retiring in December of 2020.
She worked as a material management accountant during her tenure in the Army and retired at the rank of master sergeant.
When asked about her most memorable moment during her four-decade military career, Tubbs said that while stationed in Iraq, she had the opportunity to climb a mountain to a monastery in the region.
In Biblical references, the site is believed to be "the high mountain" where Jesus took Peter, James and John to pray.
Tubbs has three children and eight grandchildren. She enjoys gardening.
After nearly 35 years in the U.S. Army, Bobby Hardrick retired in February of 2021 at the rank of E-8 master sergeant.
Hardrick joined the Army in June of 1976 and remained on active duty as chief warrant officer 2 until June of 1987.
An Army helicopter pilot, Hardick served as a pilot instructor at Cairns Army Airfield at Fort Rucker in Daleville, Alabama, from July of 1987 until February of 2021.
Hardrick has two children and three grandchildren.