BEULAH - The cookies and the fresh banana bread sweetened the deal, but lending a hand was sweeter still.

Three retired Beulah guys have been among more than 50 people who've been showing up to make sure all is ready when 85 elderly and frail folks are moved from the old nursing home to the new one Saturday.

Jerald Sommer, Duane Hartwig and Bob Schutt found a sunny table and a fresh cookie when they paused to plan their next volunteer job Thursday morning.

They've spent days hanging soap dispensers, fixing door stoppers, hanging window blinds and valances, and assembling shelving units.

Others swept and dusted construction debris, and still others washed and folded the new bedding.

The big move was already delayed months, and getting the little things done quickly helped a lot.

"We've got the satisfaction of knowing we're going to finally get this place together for the residents," said Sommer.

Hartwig said he enjoyed the odd jobs that he was given. "It'll be nice to see the residents all here Saturday night."

Watching people walk in and ask, "What can I do?" has been a "most incredible experience," said nursing home administrator Neil Ostlie.

Organizers expect 100 volunteers will show up at 7 a.m. Saturday to help make the final push to get the new Knife River Care Center occupied.

Ostlie said moving day will be a circus - a fun circus - but a circus, nonetheless.

Volunteers with pickups and trailers will help move the last of the furnishings from the old home across town to the new home.

That includes 85 beds, ovens, refrigerators, dining furnishings and the list goes on.

"There's a lot of stuff," he said.

The residents will be moved in three groups, starting with those who will occupy a new Alzheimer's unit. All 150 nursing home employees will be at work that day; some at the old place and some at the new to ensure adequate staffing in both during the transition.

Local community groups will serve breakfast, lunch and supper at the Beulah Civic Center for volunteers and families.

Ostlie said the $11 million project has had its rough spots, but in the end, the facility, with its three "neighborhoods," and intimate dining and other spaces for residents, is amazing.

"It didn't seem real until we put the name tags on the door and then it was like, 'People will really be living here,'" he said.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 888-303-5511 or Lauren@westriv.com.)