Northfield Shares A Dinner

About six years ago, I was at Kew Gardens in London and there was an outdoor art installment that I have thought about many times over the years. As I remember it…it was a long rectangle table, with sturdy, straight back chairs around it. The table was set with china, bolted down, and edible plants were growing from the teapots and cups and serving bowls. As I stood on one end of the table and looked out beyond it, there was a grassy area lined with tall, leafy trees on each side. Later, as I walked up that grassy area towards the table and between the tree canopy, I was enthralled with the whole scene and it felt very inviting.

That scene came to mind when I first heard of Northfield Shares A Dinner. A dinner: outside, along our town’s main street, with continuous tables set for 1,000 neighbors and friends… wow! The idea was fascinating to me, and I was excited.

And it happened last weekend…with the help of hundreds of volunteers through Northfield Shares, a non-profit organization in Northfield that promotes volunteerism.

I reserved tickets right away. Reserving a spot early was crucial because the 1,000 tickets were quickly dispersed. A wait list began…people wanted to participate. At the registration table a wristband was your ticket and indicated your seat assignment.

The weather during the week prior to the event was almost perfect…cool temperatures, dry air, still days. The day of the event turned cloudy and threatened rain, but only a few drops fell, until after the meal was finished. We were all grateful.

I went downtown to Bridge Square on Division Street a few hours before the 5:30 p.m. serve time to help get things ready.

The tables were covered in colored plastic table clothes with a white runner down the middle. Two tables were pushed together and eight chairs were set on each side.

A brown paper bag was placed at one end, which contained paper plates, cups, flatware, napkins and name tags, enough for sixteen.

On each table were two tri-fold cards that were menus…one in English and one in Spanish. These had to be taped down due to the slight wind that afternoon.  

Beautiful flowers, grown and donated by the local garden club, adorned each table…and not just a few flowers in a vase but a beautiful bouquet in mason jars.

Water pitchers were filled and placed on each table too. The organizers thought of every detail.

The food was donated. A cook was hired to smoke turkeys from Ferndale Market and pork from Holden farms. Corn on the cob, donated by Grisms, was grilled and salad greens from local CSA farms in the area were tossed together by Bon Appetit, the food service used by both colleges. There were dinner rolls from the Brick Oven, BBQ sauce from Kahlo restaurant and Johnny Pops was our sweet treat after the meal. It was all served family style by youth in our community. Everything was delicious.

As I write about this I’m in awe of what a wonderful event this turned out to be. 

It was intended to bring community together and it did. Every table was full and everyone seemed to be having a jolly good time. There were music groups playing before dinner and costumed Hispanic dancers on the main stage on Bridge Square. Piped-in dinner music played in the background as we ate.

What a great idea. What a great community event. What a great get-together.

Northfield, what a great place to live.