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by Fran Falkin

Here is a glimpse of celebrations (and their 2006 dates) throughout the United States. 

Alabama

In an effort to share their rich culture, the Poarch Creek Indians welcome you to their Thanksgiving Intertribal Powwow in Atmore, Alabama on November 22nd  and 23rd .  Festivities include native dance competitions and performances, and a Princess crowning contest in which three "ambassadors" of different ages are selected to represent the tribe at other powwows, cultural events and school presentations.  For more information, call (334/368-9136) or visit the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel.

Arkansas

Enjoy a family Thanksgiving buffet, holiday crafts, traditional music and dancing and a gospel concert at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas on November 22nd.  Traditional artisans demonstrate crafts such as blacksmithing, dollmaking, gunsmithing, musical instrument making and woodcarving.  Call (870/269-3851) or visit www.ozarkfolkcenter.com for schedule of events.

California

An American Indian celebration of dance, music, arts and food will take place near Palm Springs at the Indo Powwow of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians on November 23rd -25th.   This semi-annual three-day event hosts tribes from throughout the US and Canada who perform in full ceremonial dress.  In addition to dancing and singing competitions, guests can sample Native American foods and purchase jewelry, weavings, dream catchers and other craft items.  Call (800/827-2946) or visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com for schedule of events.

Massachussetts

Old Sturbridge Village is open on Thanksgiving Day from 9:30am to 4:00pm and will feature a variety of demonstrations, performances, and hands-on activities. To mark this special fall holiday in New England, Old Sturbridge Village re- creates various activities from an early New England Thanksgiving Day, including cooking at the hearth, demonstrations of 19th-century table manners, a Thanksgiving sermon, and after-dinner entertainment. Visitors can see how a Thanksgiving dinner was prepared in the 1830s and enjoy story- telling, games, tours, and musical performances.  Call them at 508/347-3362 or visit www.osv.org.

You are invited to visit "America's Home Town" in Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 16th - 17th for the community's Thanksgiving activities.  This is, after all, where it all began, and visitors make pilgramages to see the site of the First Thanksgiving with their own eyes.  The centerpiece of Plymouth's international celebration is a good old-fashioned parade, while visitors can also sample chowder and other local dishes at the New England Food Festival in a heated tent, hang out with crafters and historical re-enactors on the waterfront, or watch Coast Guard auxiliary vessel demonstrations.  For more information on the events and area accommodations call (508/747-0100) or visit www.usathanksgiving.com/2007

Michigan

Detroit leads the state with the 80th anniversary of America's Thanksgiving Parade, beginning at 10am at Woodward Avenue in front of the public library. In the past, a number of automaker sponsored floats and stars -- such as Jessica Simpson aboard Marshall Fields' birthday cake float -- have marched to Grand Circus Park. The 2007 parade celebrates the city with the theme "Hats off Detroit!" Call (313/923-7400) or go to www.theparade.org for more information.

New York

It's time for turkeys, football and the Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Combining animation, artistry and technical know-how, there are abundant balloons (running the gamut from Pokeman's Pikachu to classics like Freida the Dachshund), and several floats and "falloons," which are combination float/balloons. SpongeBob, Big Bird, Barney and many others will also make their yearly appearance, in addition to musical guests, marching bands, celebrities, and Broadway shows.  A tradition since 1924 (with no change in sponsorship), the parade kicks off at 77th Street and Central Park West, travels through Columbus Circle, and heads down Broadway to 34th Street and the famous Macy's storefront.  Check out www.macysparade.com.

Enjoy a great Thanksgiving dinner, but try to leave some room for the annual post-Thanksgiving tour "The Original Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour" sponsored by Big Onion Walking Tours (212/439-1090) on the day after the Thanksgiving day.  Meet at 1pm at the southeast corner of Essex and Delancey Streets on the Lower East Side for a tour of the tasty treats available from this multi-ethnic neighborhood, including Chinese dim sum, Italian mozzarella and Jewish bialys.  Reservations are requested and maybe you should consider stopping first for a package of Alka Seltzer!

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, the birthplace of America, is also the original home of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Philly's parade typically begins at 9am at 20th and Market Streets and proceeds to City Hall, then on to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  It continues to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art where it concludes at noon. Additionally, Disney characters, elaborate floats and balloons will entertain the crowds. Parade-goers can also participate in the area Boy Scouts Annual Food Drive by bringing cans of food to be collected at the event.  The food will be given to the Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey Food Banks and usually collects over 2.5 million items each year.

Texas

The Lone Star state's November star is Houston, where the H-E-B Holiday Parade will be roaring south on Milam while 400,000 spectators line the route.  The Houston's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1949 with the arrival of Santa at Union Station.  Fantastic floats, hot air balloons, marching bands, cheerleaders, and costumed characters will entertain spectators.  For more information call (713/654-8808) or visit www.wamuparade.com.

Vermont

In New England, Thanksgiving was based on farming, family and religion and it recalled the feast that the Pilgrims and their Wampanoag neighbors enjoyed following suffering and famine.  From November 23rd through the 25th, visit The Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, Vermont, a working dairy farm and living museum where the 1890's farmhouse will be a flurry of activity for the holiday.  Visit the farm manager's family living quarters, farm office, creamery and ice house, then tour the horse barn, milk room, sheep pen and calf nursery, and take a horse-drawn wagon ride.  There are plenty of activities for families of all ages.  Call (802/457-2355) or visit www.billingsfarm.org for details.

Virginia

Virginia lays claim to hosting the very first Thanksgiving in the nation's history, at Berkeley on December 4, 1619 (it was President Lincoln who declared that it should be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.) Here's what Williamsburg has planned to celebrate this holiday:

In 2007, at James River Plantations in Berkeley (804/829-6018 or 888/466-6018), the event will be celebrated with a first landing reenactment, Native American dancers and an appropriate feast on Nov. 4.  Other events for Thanksgiving 2007 include the "Jeffersonian Thanksgiving Festival," a journey back in time to meet famous statesmen and soldiers of the American Revolution in Charlottesville on Nov. 16-18, 2007. Call (877/386-1102) or visit www.charlottesvilletourism.org for more information.

From Nov. 22-24, "The Foods and Feasts of Colonial Virginia" will be presented at two related museums: First, at the Jamestown Settlement which presents life in 17th-century Virginia, visitors will learn how food was obtained, prepared and preserved by the Powhatan Indians and the English colonists. The Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of the American Revolution, will present costumed interpreters illustrating how soldiers created nourishing meals from meager rations, and visitors observe food and medicinal preparations at its 1780s farm.  For more information on this festival, visit www.historyisfun.org.

Colonial Williamsburg has some top-value fall and winter family packages available at (800/HISTORY) or www.history.org. Your family can call (800/932-5827) or visit www.virginia.org for more information about lodging throughout the state.

Washington

Finally, you can run off all those extra holiday calories by entering the Seattle Marathon on November 25th.  The course begins and ends at the Seattle Center with scenic views of the city and Lake Washington and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.  You can walk or run in either the full or half marathon, and even the kids can participate in their own event.  Prior to the race there will be a two-day sports Expo at the Seattle Westin Hotel.  Call (206/729-3660) or visit www.seattlemarathon.org for more information.

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Just wondering if the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is too much for toddlers? Has anyone taken their toddlers or preschoolers to the parade?

Posted Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:25pm by anonymous

Yes, have taken our son (now 14) for years, since his stroller days. It's a thrilling event for toddlers but it can be crowded (and hard for them to see), and cold or wet and windy. I suggest you take public transportation to the Columbus Circle area (59th Street station on West side, next to Central Park) to watch. Go as early as you can (does not have to be "crack of dawn" as the parade begins at 9am at Macy's on 34th Street, so you are getting the marching bands and floats lined up here, about a mile north). Be prepared to hoist toddlers on your shoulders. This is a broad part of the route so it's easier to see around the many people who gather there, but it can be overwhelming/scary if you're way down in a stoller. It's also a good location because it is close to West 57th Street which has coffeeshops open for hot chocolate if the weather is bad. Check the local papers the day before or morning of to pick your spot, as new crews often set up around here and they can hog all the good viewing spots.
p.s. The park side of the street (because you can "stand" the kids up on the stone railing) is probably the best spot.
Enjoy!

Posted Mon Oct 2, 2006 12:08pm by kyle

Plimouth Plantation, site of the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Mass, is open through Thanksgiving weekend. You can experience a 1627 Harvest Dinner with the Pilgrims on November 4, 11, 18, 19, 22, 24, and 25.

Or you can eat with your hands at the Eat Like a Pilgrim feast on November 24th at noon where you'll learn the 17th-century table manners that came to Plymouth with the English colonists. Wearing giant napkins, you'll get to eat with your fingers and find out exactly how the colonists ate their porridge.

There are also multiple meals and activities on Thanksgiving Day. Reservations are required for all: 800-262-9356 ext. 8364, 8365 or 8366.

Plimouth Plantation is a living history museum with two components: living history museum has two main components – the reconstructed European village occupied by the Pilgrims, and a reconstructed Wampanoag Native American settlement.

Laura Sutherland
FTF's Blogger

Posted Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:17pm by anonymous


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