Every time Pete Loyd turned around on Thanksgiving, someone was patting him on the back.
"I just want to thank you," said one woman.
"You're welcome," replied Loyd, smiling.
Owner of the P&D Grocery in Mancos, Loyd prepared 16 25-pound turkeys and 50 pounds of ham for his annual free Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. He estimated feeding some 300 people.
"This is the 14th year," explained Loyd. "It's gets bigger and bigger every year."
Some 45 minutes prior to opening at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Loyd said dozens of people were waiting in line. By 1 p.m., all of the deviled eggs, sweet potatoes and cream-filled celery sticks had been consumed.
"Oh, I don't know," Loyd responded when asked why he started the tradition.
"I guess I had a bad dream," he continued, chuckling.
A Montezuma County native, Loyd further explained that the annual dinner started as a way to feed his neighbors who had no place to go on Thanksgiving.
"Now everybody comes," he said.
Camila Fola, 5, her younger sister, Ashanti, and 9-month-old cousin, Amelia Navarro, were among those at the free dinner.
"I like the turkey," said Camila Fola.
