Thanksgiving 2011: Waukesha Community Shares Why They're Thankful

Editor's note: This story has been corrected after Amy Gilgenbach's Thanksgiving statements were listed under Waukesha West High School principal David Towers.

The turkey is thawed, the stuffing prepared, the drinks are chilled and the football game is dialed in.

This Thanksgiving, we asked local community members what their favorite Thanksgiving food is, their favorite Thanksgiving memory and what they are thankful for this year.

George Wang, Owner
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? Sweet Potato Pie that my late mentor Bill Hanson used to make.
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Having Peking Duck instead of turkey at Peony's with some close friends and family. As you know, there is no Thanksgiving in Taiwan. I did not have a Thanksgiving experience until I was 14.
•What are you thankful for this year? I am thankful for the great team around me at Waukesha Tattoo Company, and the great customer base we have.

Mayor Jeff Scrima
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? Cranberry marshmallow walnut pudding
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Having homemade Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends
•What are you thankful for this year? Faith, family, health, work, friends.

Meghan Sprager, Waukesha Business Improvement District executive director
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? My favorite thanksgiving food is Grandma's summer sausage stuffing.
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? My favorite memory is hearing Grandpa's stories year-after-year about growing up as an immigrant farming family in Crivitz, Wisconsin. The family had humble beginnings and were extremely hard working. Through it all, family and a sense of community were always front-and-center.
•What are you thankful for this year? I have an amazing family and a wonderful group of close friends. I am deeply thankful for the joy that they bring to my life and for their unconditional love and support. Each and every one (you know who you are) is an incredible person in their own right; however, when you put them together, I have one incredible network of people surrounding me.

Michael Crowley, Waukesha resident and member of SEWRPC
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? Sweet potatoes!
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? My last Thanksgiving with Dad before he passed away. My mom, dad, sister and I all were together for Thanksgiving for the first time in almost 30 years. Dad loved my mom’s “Stuffin’ Muffins” and the smells through the day of the dinner cooking!
•What are you thankful for this year? Good health

Allen LaConte, Waukesha Fire Department chief
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? Cranberries
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? I don't have a favorite, it’s just about being with family
•What are you thankful for this year? Family

David Towers, Waukesha West High School principal
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? My mom's homemade dressing
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?Eating too much food for dinner then following it up with a game of football in the backyard growing up
•What are you thankful for this year? A healthy family, a great new job, and an undefeated Packers team.    

Amy Gilgenbach, Waukesha Patch freelancer
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? I have to pick just one?! Turkey (of course!), stuffing (nothing fancy, the bag kind is fine as long as it's done properly with all the bits), and cranberry sauce (the "real" kind) are my favorites, all with a little gravy! Love, love, love Thanksgiving food!
•What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Making a table runner with my family: grandparents, parents and children. Everyone wrote something about Thanksgiving and signed it. My grandmother, who had always hosted Thanksgiving and who died in the fall a couple of years later, signed it with a sweet message that always makes me feel good to read, a very simple, “Thank God for the Blessings.” She was a quietly religious woman but for me, the message isn’t as important as the memory of her writing it. Seeing the shaky handwriting and knowing the effort it took for her to write those few words reminds me of how much she loved and cared for us all, in big and small ways.
•What are you thankful for this year? I’m thankful for my family and friends. It’s been a hectic year and I appreciate their support. Whether in lending an ear for me to vent, doing some extra work around the house or just supporting me, my family and friends have really kept me going and encouraged me to take on some additional challenges this year. Thanks, all!