20 hours Ago By Thomas Geyer [email protected]
Tere Dorethy of Davenport had never been to a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Mr. Thanksgiving himself, Bob Vogelbaugh. This year, she came to its new venue, Mercado on Fifth in Moline, and it was worth it.
“I’ve seen it advertised for years, and last year I sat at home alone and felt sad,” Dorethy said. “I thought, ‘Why do I keep doing that?’ “This community offers so much stuff, but we tend to just stay at home and feel sad and there’s no reason for that,” she added. “So, it’s time to just break out and get out into the world and join people with some things and maybe I’ll feel happier, and life will start to feel more positive.
” Vogelbaugh was thinking this was the 54th year for the event. The signs at the event said it’s year 53. The proclamation given to him by the City of Moline naming the day Bob Vogelbaugh Day said the event started in 1972, which would make this the 53rd.
A search of records and past articles on the event indicate 1970 as the first year, which would make this the 55th year. People are also reading..
. Regardless, “I’ll be there through 55 if the good Lord allows me to be here,” Vogelbaugh said as he watched the crowds of people either coming in to sit down for a meal or lining up at the carry out window. Brenda Sims, of Moline, sat with Dorethy and her children.
It was the first time they had ever met, and they had Thanksgiving dinner together. “I just parked next to them and asked it I could sit with them,” Sims said. “This is what Thanksgiving is about.
I come here every year. I’ve met so many nice people. It’s family.
” This year’s dinner almost didn’t happen after the normal venue, SouthPark Mall, fell through. It was taken over by people who wanted to keep it going. “Bob is our kid’s crossing guard,” said Emily Allen, who was directing volunteers to their positions.
“When we heard about the event going away because of a lack of a venue, a group of us parents got together to keep it going." They asked Mercado on Fifth, which agreed. Money was donated for T-shirts with Vogelbaugh’s face.
These were produced in about two weeks and passed out to the volunteers. Allen said Hy-Vee came on board, along with RIA Federal Credit Union. Stern Beverage, The Rust Belt, City of Moline Human Rights Commission, and Lou Fusz Kia and Nissan of Moline all helped out as well.
There was enough food to serve 2,000 meals. Mercado on Fifth turned out to be the perfect venue, with plenty of seating inside and a big window for people standing in line for takeout. Rachael Lund volunteered to be a food server when she saw the event had been resurrected.
“I saw the news that this event was potentially going to be canceled,” Lund said. “It broke my heart. I’m so grateful that people in the community stepped up to keep it going and I wanted to be a part of it.
As soon as I saw the announcement for volunteer signups, I jumped in a put my name down. Debbie Lance and her mother Jean Lance, of Coal Valley, were glad the event survived. “I was very sad when we heard it wasn’t going to happen this year,” Debbie Lance said.
“Every year we come to Mr. Thanksgiving. My daughters live in Peoria and Florida, so we’ll have Thanksgiving all the way through the weekend.
” For Vogelbaugh, the day was bittersweet. Within sight of Mercado on Fifth is the building that used to house Bob’s Market. Vogelbaugh could see it as he stood outside greeting the people.
Bob Vogelbaugh, known as Mr. Thanksgiving, gets a hug from Jaime Henrichs outside Mercado on Fifth, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in Moline.
“It’s been empty for I don’t know how many years,” he said. “It used to have an enclosed side porch but everything else is still there.” It was in that little store that he came up with the idea of inviting some of the elderly folks who shopped at this store over for Thanksgiving so they wouldn’t be alone.
“I think I had between 12 and 15 people at the most,” Vogelbaugh said. Last year, he said, “we had about 2,400 people. I just never dreamed it could get this big.
” Jaime Henrichs of Colona stood in line to grab some food for her family. Her husband recently suffered a heart attack, so the timing was perfect. Her family has been going to the dinner for years.
When she was a kid, her entire family would go when the event was held in the food court at SouthPark Mall. Now 43, she's carried it on with her family. “Bob has a big heart,” Henrichs said.
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