Stanley's Bar & Grill in Ford City offers free Thanksgiving dinner

Though best known for hot sausage sandwiches, Stanley's Bar & Grille in Ford City will be serving up something a little different Thursday.

As it has for nearly 20 years, the popular Fourth Avenue bar will host a free Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings.

Bartender Jeff Linnon started the tradition in the late 1990s. Recently divorced, he was looking for a new way to celebrate the holiday. He thought of others like himself who had no plans for Thanksgiving dinner.

“There were a lot of people with no place to go,” he said. “A lot of older gentlemen frequented the bar at that time.”

Many of them were widowers with few family or friends left in the area. As Thanksgiving dinner at Stanley's became an annual event, they often dressed up in their best suits, just as they would do if celebrating with their loved ones, Linnon said.

“It used to be quite a few of the older gentlemen, but they've all passed away now. It's sad,” he said.

The tradition continues, however, and it has grown to include Christmas and Easter. Stanley's serves up free holiday meals on those days, too.

“It's a pretty big thing,” Linnon said. “If you have no place to go, this is the place to go.”

The Thanksgiving crowd usually includes people who have divorced or lost their spouses, men whose wives work on the holiday and some of the bar's regulars. Some come in around noon to smell the food cooking before it is served at 1 p.m., Linnon said. The dinner lasts as long as the food does.

“You'd be surprised…It's a real mishmash of people in here,” he said. “It's your real traditional Thanksgiving dinner and it's free to anyone and everyone.”

To serve them, Linnon, along with Ford City residents Dave Maxielberger and Carrie Yobp , cook two turkeys, a ham and add Thanksgiving favorites like green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

The two regulars have had a hand in the holiday dinner for years, according to Linnon.

“Its kind of like a family here,” he said. “Dave and I got divorced around the same time, so we were two single guys. And, when we started, Carrie was new to the area.”

Pam Durec, Stanley's manager, said Stanley's holiday guests really appreciate the meal.

“There are a lot of single guys in this town. If you're single, the holidays are very depressing if you don't have a family,” she said. “Of course, they drink a little bit of beer, too.”

And a number of Stanley's regulars stop down after their own dinner to spend some time at the bar, which some call the “Cheers” of Ford City, after the classic television show where “everybody knows your name.”

“A lot of people just come later and pick because they want to get away for a while,” Durec said.

Most of the guests bring a dessert. Some donate money to help cover the cost of the food.

The bar even supplies takeout containers for those who would rather eat at home.

There is one item, though, that Stanley's does not serve on the holidays — the one it is best known for, its hot sausage sandwich.

“It's funny…people will call and ask if we're cooking hot sausage,” Linnon said. “You wouldn't think people would want hot sausage on Thanksgiving day. But they do.”

Linnon said he always makes sure to tell those callers that there is plenty of free Thanksgiving food and they are welcome to stop down.

“My favorite part of this all is seeing people enjoy having a place to go,” he said.

Julie E. Martin is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1315 or jmartin@tribweb.com.