The Little Compton Community Center buzzed with smiling faces as residents came together to honor the town’s veterans at the third annual veterans’ appreciation dinner Monday evening.

Near a sea of flags planted on Pike’s Peak by volunteers Friday morning, volunteers welcomed veterans with cheers and waving flags as they entered the center. The event, a display of unity and community spirit, had become an increasingly cherished local tradition.

 What started as a 37-person veterans dinner has increased to nearly 60 this year. Amy Mooney, the center’s director, said that since the founding the tradition in 2022, the event has steadily increased in support and veteran participation. The center’s after-school club made cards for each of the veterans, a local quilting group independently made a quilt to raffle off to one of the veterans during the dinner, and more and more residents showed up to welcome veterans as they walked into the event.

 For the dinner, one group of volunteers greeted the veterans, another cooked the food, another served, and then another cleaned up at the end of the night.

“It’s just a display of gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our servicemen and women. They’ve put in a tremendous effort, tremendous time, and tremendous service that I cannot relate to in the slightest. So it’s just a small token of our appreciation,” Mooney said.

 The first year, town veterans stood up and introduced themselves at dinner. Now as they gathered over the desert, they talked freely, stood and shared stories, and enjoyed the complementary dinner.

In the crowd of welcomers, one resident expressed how great of a turnout the event was considering Little Compton is a small town. Another resident expressed how nice it was to be holding the dinner during voting season to dispel any hostility between parties.

 “There’s an era of veterans, the Vietnam era; when they came back, they didn’t get a welcome, certainly not a warm one. So I think we’re rewriting some history for them to feel like they are appreciated and they are welcome, and we see them and hear them and feel them,” said Mooney.

The complementary veterans dinner takes place on the first Monday of November every year. Mooney hopes to see even more involvement as the community center comes together to support veterans.

“So much as it’s a Little Compton Community Center event, it’s turned into a town of Little Compton event.”