Thu, Nov 2611:00 AM
Free Community Thanksgiving Meal
MO St. James UMC --149 W Church St, Saint James, MO, United States, 65559
Thanksgiving Events in Rolla 2026
Celebrate Thanksgiving 2026 in Rolla with festive dinners, brunches, buffets, Turkey Trots, parades, family-friendly activities, Friendsgiving parties, holiday markets, volunteer opportunities, food drives, cruises, and seasonal events. Whether you're planning a traditional Thanksgiving feast or looking for unique things to do, discover the best Thanksgiving events happening in Rolla.
Listings updated
Curated by the AllEvents team, for you
Top Thanksgiving events in Rolla
All Thanksgiving events in Rolla 2026
Wed, Nov 18920 E Main St, Linn
Friendsgiving Potluck Supper
Join us for Thanksgiving dinner! Invite a neighbor, invite a friend, invite someone who doesn't have a table to gather around for Thanksgiving. This is a potluck style meal, so we do encourage folks to bring a dish to share, but please come join in even
Dinner & brunchFriendsgiving
Thu, Nov 19Phelps County Courthouse
Thanksgiving Potluck and Club Meeting - All Welcome!
We are going to have our General and Thanksgiving Meeting on November 19 at the Phelps County Courthouse Multipurpose Room starting at 6:00 p.m. Volunteers will be donating turkey and ham! We ask that members/attendees bring a Thanksgiving side dish and
Volunteer
Thu, Nov 19Calvary Assembly of God, Cuba
Community-wide Thanksgiving Service
Join us for the Cuba Ministerial Alliance Joint Thanksgiving Service. Calvary Assembly will be our Host, Chris Sheridan Pastor at Amazing Grace Church will bring our message. (November 19th, 7pm, Calvary Assembly, Chris Sheridan)
Sat, Nov 2186 Centerpoint Rd Steelville MO 65565
Sheri’s Family Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner
Plan to eat around 1:00 pm then will do white elephant gift exchange game. Everyone brings a gift to put in the middle and pick from. If you have kids bring a kids gift for each kid you have. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. $1.00 to 10.00 preferably! It’s
Dinner & brunchFamily friendly
Sat, Nov 21St. Peter's UCC Owensville
Turkey Supper and Silent Auction
All are welcome! Turkey & dressing; ham, mashed potatoes, slaw, vegetables, salads and PIES! Adults $15; $7 for kids age 6-12; Free for kids age 5 and under. Come to our fellowship hall for dine-in or carryout, serving from 4-7 PM. This year, a curb
Family friendly
Sun, Nov 22Roby Community Citizen's Center, Roby Mo
Old fashioned Family Thanksgiving
We will be having an old fashioned family thanksgiving. Everyone bring a covered dish. Please let me know if you will be coming and also post what dish you will be bringing.
Sun, Nov 22269 MO-8 W, Steelville
Thanksgiving Dinner
🦃🍂 THANKSGIVING DINNER! 🍂🦃 Join us at Steelville Country Club as we gather together for a Thanksgiving meal and fellowship! We will provide turkey and ham❤️ 📅 November 22, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 🍽️ Please bring a passing dish to share! ❤️ FREE AND O
Dinner & brunch
Sun, Nov 22Bourbon Area Community Center - BACC
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Join us as we again gather as a community to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Dinner & brunch
Mon, Nov 23309 N Mapleshade Rd, Cuba
Thanksgiving Meal Baskets
Thanksgiving meal distribution! FREE to the community. We will have 150 meals to giveaway. This will be a drive-thru distribution.
Mon, Nov 23Salem Christian Church
Community Thanksgiving Service
Come join the Salem Community Choir sharing the Gaither's "We Are So Blessed" musical. Let's count our blessings together!
Thu, Nov 26216 River Bend Road, Leasburg
Planting Tables Thanksgiving
We gather around tables where stories are honored, hearts are met, and connection becomes a place of healing. Open door: noon , dinner at 3pm Scan QR to RSVP
Dinner & brunch
Thu, Nov 26First Baptist Church Owensville
Thanksgiving 5k
If you know of anyone that does not have FB or access to the link please let me know so I can get a registration form to them. In order to receive your free shirt with registration, you have to be registered by the end of this month. Registration online
Turkey trot
Nov 26–27303 S Alvarado Ave, Belle2 days
Gobble & Get Cozy: The Annual PJ Party
THE EVENT OF THE YEAR!! 🎉 We’re OPEN Thanksgiving night for our ANNUAL PJ PARTY!! 🩷🛍️ Come cozy, come comfy, and come ready to SHOP after you've had your Thanksgiving feast! Leave the men at home to watch football while you enjoy a night of shopping, c
Dinner & brunch
Thanksgiving table decor and hosting essentials
From the thermometer that saves the turkey to the tablecloth, the kids’ table and a hat for the Turkey Trot. Check delivery dates before you order.
Links go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, AllEvents earns from qualifying purchases.
- Host
Instant-read thermometerThe one tool between a dry bird and a juicy oneShop on Amazon - Host
Roasting pan with rackLifts the turkey so it browns all overShop on Amazon - Host
Food warming matEvery side still warm when the last guest sitsShop on Amazon - Guest
Casserole carrierFor the dish you promised to bring, 9×13Shop on Amazon - Table
Thanksgiving tableclothAutumn leaves for the long tableShop on Amazon - Table
Cheesecloth table runnerSoft and gathered, this year’s table lookShop on Amazon - Table
Gratitude conversation cardsSomething to talk about besides the gameShop on Amazon - Kids
Coloring tableclothKeeps the kids’ table busy till pieShop on Amazon - Friendsgiving
Plates and napkins setFor Friendsgiving, and no washing upShop on Amazon - Run
Turkey hatRun the Turkey Trot dressed for dinnerShop on Amazon
Thanksgiving events near Rolla
Turkey trots, dinners and parades in the towns nearby
Tue, Nov 17East Central College, Union
FCSC Court Mastery: Fall Youth Basketball Academy 🏀
Sat, Nov 21Holts Summit Civic Center
The Barn Co. Christmas Fest
Thu, Nov 262359 Bittersweet Rd, Lake Ozark
Thanksgiving Buffet / H Toads located at Camden on the Lake Resort
Dinner & brunchFamily friendly
Thu, Nov 26Infinity Float Spa, Osage Beach
GROUNDED IN GRATITUDE: FREE THANKSGIVING YOGA at Infinity Float Spa
Thu, Nov 261241 Butler rd, Lebanon
A Day For Giving And Thanks.
Fri, Nov 27114 E High Street, Jefferson City
Black Friday DROP AND SHOP
Since 1621
The history of Thanksgiving
It began with a harvest. In the autumn of 1621, the Plymouth colonists and their Wampanoag neighbours shared three days of food in a good year. Nobody called it Thanksgiving then. It took two more centuries, a determined editor and a president in the middle of a war to turn it into the day we know: a Thursday in November for family, food and being grateful.
Most of what fills the day now came later. The parade, the football, the morning Turkey Trot and the long table of sides were added by one generation after another, which is why every family’s Thanksgiving looks a little different.
- 1621After their first harvest, the Plymouth colonists hold three days of feasting. Massasoit arrives with about 90 Wampanoag men, who bring five deer.
- 1789George Washington proclaims the first national day of thanksgiving, for Thursday, 26 November.
- 1846–63Sarah Josepha Hale, the magazine editor who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, writes to five presidents asking for one national day.
- 1863In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln makes the last Thursday of November a national Thanksgiving. It has been kept every year since.
- 1896Buffalo runs its first YMCA Turkey Trot, now the oldest footrace held every year in North America — a year older than the Boston Marathon.
- 1924Macy’s holds its first parade in New York, with animals from the Central Park Zoo. The giant balloons arrive in 1927.
- 1934The Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving for the first time, and football becomes part of the afternoon.
- 1939–41Franklin Roosevelt moves the day a week earlier to lengthen the shopping season. People call it “Franksgiving”, so Congress fixes it for good: the fourth Thursday of November.
- 1957Canada settles on the second Monday of October for its own Thanksgiving, which goes back to 1578.
- 1989George H. W. Bush gives the first formal presidential turkey pardon, now a White House tradition.
Thanksgiving in Rolla: frequently asked questions
When are Thanksgiving events in Rolla in 2026?
Thanksgiving events in Rolla run from Nov 15 to Nov 26, 2026: 16 events.
What is on in Rolla on Thanksgiving Day?
4 events are listed for Thursday, November 26, including Planting Tables Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 5k at First Baptist Church Owensville and Free Community Thanksgiving Meal at MO St. James UMC --149 W Church St, Saint James, MO, United States, 65559.
Where can I have Thanksgiving dinner in Rolla?
7 dinners, brunches and buffets are listed, including Friendsgiving Potluck Supper, Sheri’s Family Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner and Thanksgiving Dinner. Tables go early for the holiday, so book ahead where you can.
Are there turkey trots in Rolla?
Yes: Thanksgiving 5k at First Baptist Church Owensville (Thu, Nov 26).
Where can I volunteer this Thanksgiving in Rolla?
Thanksgiving Meal Giveback - Jefferson City at K9s on The Front Line and Thanksgiving Potluck and Club Meeting - All Welcome! at Phelps County Courthouse are looking for helping hands.
What are the best Thanksgiving events in Rolla?
The most popular on AllEvents right now are Free Community Thanksgiving Meal at MO St. James UMC --149 W Church St, Saint James, MO, United States, 65559 (Thu, Nov 26), Feast for the Fort (Mon, Nov 23) and Thanksgiving Meal Giveback - Jefferson City at K9s on The Front Line (Sun, Nov 15).
Are there Thanksgiving events near Rolla?
Yes: 7 more events are listed within reach, in Union, Holts Summit, Lake Ozark and Osage Beach and more.
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
In the United States, Thursday, November 26, 2026 — always the fourth Thursday of November. Canada celebrates earlier, on Monday, October 12, the second Monday of October.
What is Friendsgiving?
A Thanksgiving meal shared with friends rather than family, usually on a day near the holiday. Many restaurants and bars host Friendsgiving dinners and parties, so you can skip the cooking.
Do I need to book Thanksgiving dinner in advance?
Yes, as early as you can. Restaurants serving a Thanksgiving menu often fill up a week or more ahead, and many offer a set menu at fixed seatings on the day.