Four gallons of cranberry sauce, 20 pounds of carrots and peas, 24 turkeys, 30 pounds of rutabagas and cabbage, 300 pounds of potatoes, and 600 slices of pie will compose the United Methodist Women's 94th annual turkey dinner in St. Ignace at the LaSalle High School cafeteria Thursday, November 5, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. About 50 members from the church and volunteers gather to transform the raw ingredients into a spread that has drawn up to 600 hungry people to LaSalle High School for the meal in the past, organizer Donna Pope said.

"It's not that bad because everybody helps," she said of the effort to prepare the meal.

The dinner was originally held in the United Methodist Church basement but was moved to LaSalle High School in the mid- 1970s owing to lack of space, said Mrs. Pope.

Moving to the high school made the dinner easily accessible, as people no longer had to cram into the basement and climb up and down the church stairs, church secretary Gladys Tamlyn said.

In the past, 24 people would each cook a turkey and bring it to the event, Mrs. Pope said. The Mackinac Fish Market has aided the dinner by cleaning out their smokers and cooking 20 of the turkeys. The help offered by the market has been a big relief on labor, Mrs. Pope said.

Volunteers still hand-peel the 300 pounds of potatoes that will be mashed for the dinner. Workers used to dice the 30 pounds of rutabagas themselves, as well, but today they buy those already diced.

The turkey dinner dates back to even before the United Methodist Church building was completed in 1959. The dinner started in the old Methodist Church, which was also predated by an earlier church in 1881. The original church was erected in a day, but it lacked a stove, a door, and seats, according to historical information published in a 1991 church cookbook. Further work on the church then ceased, as a $70 debt had been incurred.

The building of a new church was discussed in August of 1881, and in November, Amble Goudreau deeded the land where the new church would be built. It opened by Christmas Eve and a Christmas Tree social was held, raising $50 for the church.

In May 1887 a bell was ordered and installed, honoring the late Reverend Orrin Whitmore, who had been a pastor for the church since 1884. The bell cracked after being used, although the church had a warranty for it. A larger one was purchased in September 18, 1887.

The bell served many purposes for the church in addition to announcing services. It was used as a fire alarm, and also to announce deaths. The bell tolled a different number of times and over the span of several minutes to notify everyone of the age and gender of the person who had died. The bell rang seven times if it was a woman, for example, and then quickly rang a number of times for her age, according to the history account.

In the 1950s the congregation decided the church was too small, and by March 31, 1959, ground was broken for the present-day church on the I-75 business loop. The new United Methodist Church's first service was held the next year in September 1960. The old church was torn down, but the bell was kept. It rests in the bell tower in front of the church today.

The turkey dinner at the LaSalle High School cafeteria costs $9 for adults, $5 for children 5 to 12 years old, and the meal is free for children ages 4 and younger. A take-out meal can be purchased for $10. Proceeds benefit church programs.