Over 20 years of Friendsgiving at Fuzzy’s Tavern

COBDEN, Il. (KBSI) – People gathered at Fuzzy’s Tavern on Thursday to give thanks — a tradition of free Thanksgiving meals for the community and friendship that’s spanned over 20 years.

“We did a deep fried turkey,” Owner Lisa Britt said. “We have some smoked mac and cheese. We have mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole —.”

Friendsgiving started with the previous owners and Britt’s family carried on the tradition. She said they don’t feel a need to charge for the Thanksgiving meal they provide each year.

“This is the holidays. This is a time when people just want to eat — get a good plate of food — and we want to share that,” Lisa said. “We’re fortunate to be able to share that with people.”

Lisa’s daughter, Lily Britt, said she’s been in and around the bar since she was young.

“Doesn’t matter who you are, everybody here, we’re all family — Fuzzy’s family,” she said. “I just love it.”

While Lisa and her family provided a lot of the food, others brought dishes to share, as well.

“My favorite dish is the corn casserole,” Dominic Hudgens said. “It is so good and I was just not ready for it, but it’s the front runner for me.”

Those who came to feast said the food is great but having each other is the best part.

“I was here last year,” Brett Yates said. “I was actually looking forward to coming here today. It’s the camaraderie. You come here and it’s — it’s like home to a lot of us.”

“A lot of people, especially people that are local, are with their proper family right now,” Arien Herrmann said. “Once all the ball games are over and, you know, things are starting to wind down, they’ll come in here.”

“These are our people,” Lisa said. “It’s important that people recognize that family just comes in all shapes and sizes. And so we wanted to make sure that everybody felt like they were included.