The holidays can be a wonderful time, gathering with family and friends, enjoying a great meal, and spending time with that you care about.
Sadly, not everyone can have that experience. Some have lost loved ones, no longer live close to relatives and friends, or for any number of reasons, they find themselves alone during the holidays.
Despite the wintry weather that froze the valley this weekend, a small community diner in St. Clairsville sought to provide those people to come, set their worries aside, and enjoy a hot meal amongst smiling faces. The holiday cheer was free of charge, as was the meal.
The doors to the Newellstown Diner opened Christmas Day at 8 a.m., with a heaping helping of Christmas pancakes available to all. Christmas dinner started later at noon, with both turkey and ham available. All were welcome, and no one was charged—same as Thanksgiving, and same as both Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2021.
Co-owner Terra Butler said she sees some of the same faces that came for Christmas 2021, but it’s not regulars in the sense of the loyal crew of customers that patronize the diner on a daily basis.
“We have a couple of our regulars come in, but more so, I’m seeing some of the same faces that we’ve gotten to know around the holidays, seeing them come back in,” Butler said. “When they’ve come in, we’ve had emotional conversations about how they haven’t had a Christmas or Thanksgiving in many years. Maybe someone has passed away, or the family doesn’t do it anymore.
“There’s been a change in the family dynamic, but this provides them a chance to come in and enjoy a nice meal.”
The diner’s head chef came in early Sunday morning to get all the food started before leaving, and then it was basically Butler and co-owner T.J. Stewart attending to the patrons. The event was talked about on the diner’s Facebook page earlier in the week, but otherwise, Butler and Stewart wanted to keep the event relatively low-key.
“It’s just a warm, personal kind of event,” Butler said. “We don’t want people getting bombarded with news cameras or anything like that, out of respect for their situation.
“It’s not a charity event, and I’ve said that many times, but it’s more for people that don’t have anywhere to go, or maybe even they are sitting around, bored. They can pop in and hang out for any number of reasons.”
It’s Cold Out There
The extreme cold and road conditions likely played a role in the more subdued turnout for Christmas than Butler and Stewart expected.
Still, between 10-15 tables throughout the day had patrons stopping by to partake in some good food and Christmas spirit.
That pales, however, to the 40 or so “tickets” during Thanksgiving when the diner was certainly hopping on Turkey Day.
“I think the weather had a lot to do with yesterday,” Butler said. “Christmas is just different, but I know we had a lot of people for Thanksgiving.”
There was certainly plenty of food to go around. Thanksgiving saw three turkeys and ham be prepared and served back in November, and it was all used. Christmas saw two turkeys and two hams come out of the oven, and, while most of the turkey was gone, there was still ham and plenty of sides left.
The remaining food was taken out to the employees working at the Belmont County 911 Dispatch Center.
Giving Back
Butler and Stewart are super appreciative of their customers and community that’s helped support Newellstown since they took over a few years ago.
While the Christmas and Thanksgiving events are the highlights, they aren’t the only times the diner has sought to help out those in need or working hard. Friday morning, road crew employees and first responders were out early, working hard to keep the roads clear and ensure the safety of anyone traveling. They were invited to stop in for a free cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich.
In the past when major snowstorms were impending, they’ve opened early, or even late, to provide similar fair to those working hard for the community.
“I was thinking about it yesterday, but this was our second year doing this because three years ago would have been (during) COVID,” Butler said. “It was T.J.’s idea. He wanted to give people a place to go that didn’t have anywhere else to go.
“We’ve just worked our Christmas (plans) around the diner. We’ll be in and out, taking care of our stuff, then we come back and take care of the diner too (on the holidays).”
Newellstown does a number of little things for and in the community that neither co-owner wants to be advertised or to receive credit for. That’s not why they do it.
They do it for the community, for their neighbors and friends, encompassing the spirit of Christmas, both this December, and the holiday seasons to come.
