NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — Thousands of people from all over the First Coast flocked to Neptune Beach Thursday morning to celebrate a holiday tradition steeped in local history and community — Petesgiving.

Since its founding by Pete Jensen in 1933, Pete’s Bar has flourished. The business, owned and operated by the Jensen family for generations until its sale in 2021, cemented itself as a Thanksgiving destination with the creation of its Petesgiving party in 1985.

Christian Thorne, who just moved here with his wife Kaitlyn and friend Tristan, says Petesgiving is his warmup before Thanksgiving dinner.

“It’s a really good group of people; it’s not a lot of events like this by the beach where you get so many people," Thorne said. “This is the pregame and we got a lot of turkey, a lot of food and

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