Rosey's Dream, Part 1: Free Thanksgiving Dinner

In this segment, Rosey and his wife Donna talk about how they started the tradition of free Thanksgiving Meals at Rosey's Dream in Reedsburg.

Rosey Harden opened his restaurant, Rosey's Dream, June 1, 1972 in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Starting in 1975, Harden served an annual free Thanksgiving dinner, which began as a meal for Reedsburg's homeless and elderly, and turned into a dinner open to anyone in the area. He operated his restaurant for 13 years, closing in 1985. Harden was the first black business owner in Reedsburg, and experienced both joys and hardships while operating his restaurant as a minority in Reedsburg.

Special thanks to Rosey and Donna Harden, Cheryl Schwarzenbart, Donna Neuwirth, The Reedsburg Times Press, Katie Godfrey, and Katie Schofield for their help with this project.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Rosie's Dream

[shadow12312gx]

Roosy and Donna are my great-grandparents