Area residents talk about Thanksgiving Day plans

It is a time when many people put aside petty differences and discord among family and friends while reflecting on a healthy and happy holiday season.

With Thanksgiving Day less than 24 hours away, a few Pahrump residents provided their respective thoughts on the holiday and what it means to them personally.

Elnora White and her husband Lee live roughly 27 miles from Pahrump, in the town of Crystal.

White said she won’t be preparing the traditional Thanksgiving dinner at home this year, unlike previous years.

“Myself and my husband were invited out to Thanksgiving dinner with our friends Butch and Maril Borasky,” she said. “We are going to a restaurant here in town.”

As far as what she and her husband are thankful for this year, White suggested that it’s just the simple things in life that both are grateful for.

“I have a lot to be thankful for and I just love Pahrump,” she said. “I love my home and I love living where we have no traffic, no neighbors, no dogs and no kids. It’s very peaceful and quiet and I don’t mind driving to my favorite place, which is the Pahrump Senior Center.”

As a longtime member of the center, White said it’s the perfect place to meet new and interesting individuals.

“I love this place because I have met so many great people here from everywhere,” she said. “I’ve met people from Canada to Florida. I have been invited to their homes anytime I wanted to come and visit with them over the years. I have made a lot of friends here that I love dearly. It can’t get any better than that.”

Longtime Pahrump resident Jennifer Paris no longer spends hours in the kitchen preparing a Thanksgiving meal.

This year, she said, the duties are in the hands of other family members.

“I’m going to go spend Thanksgiving with my granddaughter and great-grandchildren,” she said. “We are not traveling this year, so we are going to spend it right here in Pahrump. We normally have dinner around 3 p.m. which is about average for a lot of families I think. There’s a lot to be thankful for and I’m personally thankful for my life. I’m thankful that I am alive as well as my son, grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren. I’m also thankful that my mother is still alive, so I have a lot to be thankful for and I am.”

Pahrump resident John Dolin and his family will not have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.

As the general manager of Pahrump’s sole Radio Shack location, Dolin said he must instead focus on the day after Thanksgiving.

“We have no Thanksgiving plans nor do we get to celebrate it technically because we have Black Friday coming up,” he said. “We don’t celebrate because you figure after all of the cooking and the cleaning and everything else, I have to be up at 5 a.m. to open the store for Black Friday. We tend to put Thanksgiving off and celebrate Christmas dinner instead.”

Dolin also said Thursday’s dinner, sans turkey, will still qualify as a white meat dish with all of the trimmings.

“We also have what we call our Thanksgiving meal for Black Friday and it’s the complete opposite of what other people do,” he said. “The dinner we are having on Thursday will be pork chops, mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. Personally, I am thankful for the fact that we are still open.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @sharrispvt