Friday dinners bring community together

KENSINGTON, Kan. -- If it's true that a family that eats together stays together, then this town of 500 should have no worries.

That's because there's one thing that never falls off the hometown calendar. No matter the month or the weather, residents have a standing reservation on Friday nights for dinner -- together.

Every Friday night for the past four years, Kensington residents have filed into the American Legion hall for dinner. And like so many other things in towns this size, it's a volunteer effort.

It all started seven years ago when members of the local Legion group decided it was time to remodel their building. The kitchen was small, the bar was cramped, and there was a lot of wasted space in just about every corner.

But the improvements were going to be expensive, and the group didn't have enough money in the bank. So, they started a Tuesday night dinner. The menu included a basic meal for $5, and within three years they paid for all the repairs.

The new building was nice, of course, but residents didn't want to give up their weekly dinners together. So that's when the first Friday night dinner was born.

Karen Pollock and Shirley Conaway lead the charge, but every week they get help from a different crew of residents who make sure that this not-so-old tradition doesn't go by the wayside.

"It's nice to see people sit around and visit like this," Conaway said after her three-hour shift in the kitchen one Friday night.

The fact that she and Pollock cook up a whole menu of options doesn't really phase her, but there's no doubt that residents love it. There are some that have their favorites -- there's always many orders for hamburgers made from the beef from Kensington Lockers Inc. -- but then Pollock and Conaway also dream up their own creations.

The menu changes every week, except for a few of the standards like those burgers, and nothing costs more than $5. All the money goes back to the Legion.

But it's not about the money.

"We encourage them not to eat and run, but to stay and visit," said Randy Dues, the man assigned to grill duty.

Most people follow that direction. Of the 135 people who ate on a recent Friday, none were bothered by the time it took the five volunteers to take their orders, make the food and deliver it to their tables. The Legion has a bartender on duty every Friday night to take care of the drinks, and residents simply mill around the room, talking to their neighbors.

They gush over the little babies in the crowd, and this week they all sang to Jerry Webb for his birthday. His family had the standard cake and candles for after dinner, but even the kitchen staff got in the act. They put a candle in the top of his hamburger bun and led the first round of singing.

Jeff Nech said when he and his wife first brought their newborn daughter to one of the dinners a couple years ago, it was almost like a night off for them. Everyone else wanted to hold her, so they just enjoyed dinner and the break.

Friday night dinners are standard for the Nech family. In fact, his 6-year-old son usually is the first one out the door.

"He always asks, 'Can we go to the Legion?'"

Young couples like the Nechs bring their children, and the youngsters usually play together outside both before and after dinner. There is no time crunch when a night includes food, friends and a competitive game of red rover or tag.

Inside, it's a time for this community to gather. There's no age limit or requirement, and there's not even a rule that it's for Kensington residents only.

Russell and Carol Rose joked that they sneaked in the back door from their home in Agra, about 5 miles away.

The reputation of these dinners is already well-known to the people who live nearby. Carol Rose used to operate her own restaurant in Agra, and this week she and her husband thought it was time they check out a Friday night supper in Kensington.

Sid and Beth Scott also hit the road for dinner Friday. They live in Smith Center, but they decided to eat with their granddaughter Brooke Scott, a teacher in Kensington.

Brooke Scott said she doesn't miss many Friday night dinners, even though this week she admitted she was sitting down a bit earlier than normal. Eating with Grandpa and Grandpa was worth it, she said.

Apparently there are some unwritten rules to Friday night dinners too. One, it's usually the older folks in the community who show up first to eat.

Elvyn and Doris Slavik and Francis and Ada Gaines were not bothered by the fact they were one of the first groups to sit down Friday. They're regulars, and both gray-haired couples say they simply like having the time to see their neighbors and spend time with them.

The second rule is kind of the other side of the first. The second wave of hungry customers usually is a little younger, but they all stick around just the same.

Both of those rules are off the books some weekends. Anytime the Kensington Goldbugs have a home game on Friday -- whether it's football or basketball -- there's only one place to find everyone after the game. The volunteers all stay later those nights -- until everyone, including the players, has had something to eat.

Perhaps most importantly, if there's something on the menu that you definitely want to eat, don't be shy. Order it. There are only so many pieces of Conaway's homemade "better than anything" cake.