THANKS FOR THE FOOD AND EXTRA MONEY

Once upon a time in America, preparing the Thanksgiving feast was as much a part of the celebration as eating it. But the crowded Cape Girardeau eateries serving turkey dinners Thursday were testament that more and more people are letting someone else make the gravy and clean the roasting pan.

At Ryan's in Cape Girardeau, 28 turkeys and 32 turkey breasts were roasted in preparation for a day of business that rivals the busiest -- Mother's Day.

Manager Amy Polhamus expected her staff of 75 would serve about 4,000 customers by the time the restaurant closed at 7 p.m.

"People are tired of all the cooking and cleaning up afterward," she said.

The restaurant's three serving bars were each set up with turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, yams and the rest, although beef stew and roast beef also were available.

Polhamus arranged the two shifts to end and begin at 3 p.m. so all the restaurant's employees could spend part of the day with their families.

Many other Cape Girardeans were working on Thanksgiving Day, but few seemed to mind. Not even Alden Field, who spent the afternoon alone in the KRCU 90.9 FM studio as the substitute host on "Afternoon Classics."

Field, a former Southeast actor, found some humor in the fact that he was reading the 1950s thriller "The Bad Seed" between breaks. "In the breaks, I'm wishing people a happy Thanksgiving," he said.

Like many others working Thanksgiving, Field volunteered for the assignment. "The money's nice," he said.

Besides, his shift was only 1 to 4 p.m., leaving him time to spend with his family in Sikeston.

At Rhodes 101 on William Street, Zetta Bell and Marilyn "Taz" Melton had a busy morning but the pace slowed in the early afternoon. "This is when everyone else is eating," Melton said.

Bell celebrated the holiday with her family the day before Thanksgiving and didn't mind having to work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. "Holidays are holidays," she said. "And they ask for volunteers."

Venture was the only store open at West Park Mall on Thanksgiving Day, but cashiers Shelly Jaco and Becky Slay were idle at 1:30 in the afternoon. "It's really slow," Slay said. "I thought it would pick up by now."

Both were planning to spend at least part of the day with their families.

They said they don't mind working Thanksgiving Day. It's today, the day afterward, that's crazy. Venture is one of many stores that run sales to kick off the Christmas shopping season.

The store will open its doors at 6 a.m. today. Last year, the cashiers said, customers were lined up outside the door waiting to get in at that hour.