If autumn’s arrival has you craving a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to satisfy that craving. The annual Prosper Valley School Harvest Dinner is scheduled for this Saturday, October 7, at the Pomfret Town Hall. You can enjoy turkey with all the trimmings plus homemade pie while supporting the school’s PTO. However, don’t wait too much longer to make your reservation. The 6:15pm seating is sold out, but there’s still room at the 5pm and 7:30pm seatings.

PTO member Sara Smith says, “This is a traditional turkey dinner. There is nothing new added because we feel strongly about keeping the tradition of what the dinner has been in the past.” 

Now in its 43rd year, the Prosper Valley Harvest Supper began in the early 1970s when a group of parents got together to start the first kindergarten in Pomfret. The town agreed to allow a class to be held in the Town Hall building but couldn’t fund the kindergarten teacher’s salary. Not to be discouraged, these education pioneer parents found ways of funding their dream, which included proceeds from a Harvest Supper that has endured and is now the Prosper Valley School PTO’s main fundraiser.

Harvest Supper chair Jody Eaton says, “We serve approximately 350 people, as well as serving to-go dinners to those who can’t make it to the Pomfret Town Hall on the night of our supper. We love this wonderful tradition and look forward to many more Harvest Suppers bringing busy people together to celebrate our children, our teachers, and our communities.”  

Annually, the PTO supports many vital school programs. About 25 percent of the funds are set aside for class allowances, where teachers decide how to spend that money to enrich their class programs. Additionally, Harvest Supper contributions help reduce the cost of attending Pentangle and Lebanon Opera House productions and purchasing new library books. Recently, funds have been distributed for the Climbing Team, Helping Hands Baskets, snack cards, Project Graduation, Red Clover Workshop, Girls on the Run, yoga mats and bean bag chairs, Movie Night, the Welcome Back Barbeque, the Yearbook, and seeing to immediate needs when non-budgeted items have to be purchased.

Many community members continue to participate well after their children graduate from the school. Sara says, “We have many guests that have come every year! A lot of guests say it’s the best meal they have all year.” 

The cost for the supper is $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 12 and under. To make your reservation, go to the event’s website (www.pomfretharvestsupper.com) or call (802) 457-4881.