By Sharon Space-Bamberger
LIBERTY — On December 20, Lisa’s (Atkins) Luncheonette on North Main Street was filled to the rafters for her 16th annual Christmas Buffet. As Lisa’s menu board invitation read, “Free food, good friends and lots of fun.”
“I checked and it’s still free. I wouldn’t come otherwise,” Frank McCoy told coffee klatsch buddies Harry Morse and Bob Lavelle.
The men are part of Lisa’s regular morning crowd. They talk about important things like politics, the intricacies of colonoscopies and the puniness of the deer other men shot.
Lisa’s crowd can give it as well as take it, but mostly they give. Lavelle reported his State Farm Insurance office just down the street contained “Hundreds of toys, it’s over flowing with toys that we’ve collected for Toys for Tots.”
Lisa’s customers contributed money for the Marine Corps drive and Lisa herself shopped for the gifts.
Masons George Dexheimer and Cliff Freeman stopped in. They were in the midst of delivering holiday fruit baskets to 14 Masonic widows. Both men are early risers and they caught one of the widows in her robe, but she was nonplussed.
Many customers helped with the buffet. Sue Huggler dropped off cookies before work, Carol McCoy made cherry squares, Lorraine Welsch made brownies, and Patty Grant made a lemon cake. Nancy Collins contributed rugulah, lemon blossom cookies and lasagna.
Lisa said, “The men helped too; Andy Kavleski got the soda, Shy-Bee the ice, and Charlie Tyler helped me with everything.”
Janet Sherf, Lisa and Nancy Collins were busy refilling drinks and food trays when the fun began. Lisa’s has 20-odd seats, and good friends eating free food made it really cozy.
All agreed that Lisa throws a great Christmas party for a nice Jewish girl!