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Thanksgiving, as we hold it dear, is truly an American holiday. And while most of us know the origins of the celebration, there are facts and trivia that are more obscure.
The feast the Pilgrims enjoyed was the result of a good harvest, but historians doubt that wild turkey was on their plate. More likely, they enjoyed other wild game, eel and shellfish. While pumpkin was probably on the menu, it was most certainly not in a pie. Sugar was not available and there was no baking oven at Plimoth Plantation.
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The Pilgrims did not call themselves pilgrims. They were Separatists – who wished to be separate from the Church of England. The term pilgrim was not used to describe them until 1830. The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621. However, the day was not declared a national holiday for another 200 years!
Building Fund Hits Nearly $1.7 Million
I want to thank all of you have made end of year gifts to our Peninsula Community Library (PCL) building fund which stands at almost $1.7 million, on our way to our $2.5 million dollar goal. I am overwhelmed by your love for our small community library! PCL is a beloved gathering place for all on Old Mission Peninsula! You are helping to build the heart of the community!
‘Black Saturday’ at PCL
PCL will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. We will be open normal hours Saturday, Nov. 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
While we cannot offer you Black Friday savings here at PCL since we will be closed, we CAN extend our very own Black Saturday special. Come on in Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and we will waive any outstanding overdue fines you have. This includes only overdue fines – not charges for lost or damaged items – and you must come in to have fines waived. Happy shopping!
On Monday, Nov. 27 at 11 a.m., Mary Morgan will show us Google tips and tricks when using the web search engine on your computer or other device. Bring a brown bag lunch and dessert is on us!
Regular programming next week includes our fiber arts group Threads on Monday at 10 a.m., Gentle Yoga on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. for a small fee, and our 5 to One playgroup on Thursday.
Blankets for TC Alternative High School Kids
I am looking for patrons who might be willing to help with a special craft. No-sew blankets need to have fringe cut and tied. They will be gifts for students at Traverse City Alternative High School. These may be the only gift some of these young adults receive this season.
If you are able, please take one or two of these VERY easy projects home and get them back to us by December 8. They are simply cut and tie fleece – a craft that even I can manage! Pick one or two up here at PCL to do in the library OR at home!
1000 Books Before Kindergarten
Do you know that reading readiness begins from birth? If you have an infant though pre-kindergartner at your house, pick up a 1000 Books Before Kindergarten packet. This is a national early literacy program that asks simply that you read to your child. Here at PCL, for every 100 books your child reads, you may turn in a checkoff sheet and your child may pick a book from our basket. Their name will go up on our wall.
When your child reaches 1000 books in this parent guided journey, we will send them home with a book and tote bag and put their name up in a star on our wall. All books count – including those read at story times here at PCL, at grandma’s and elsewhere! You are the most important tool in assuring that your child will be ready for school. Reading is the foundation for all learning!
We Love the Banton Family
If you are wondering about the live tree in the library, it is there to show love for one of our Old Mission teachers who is also a parent here. The theme on the tree will change from time to time, but currently is decorated with butterflies representing metastatic breast cancer.
Feel free to write a note to Erin Banton on one and hang it up. There is also a coin jar if you wish to make a donation to the Banton family. In the spring, the tree will be planted in Erin’s own garden to show how much she is truly cared about here. Special thanks to Old Mission Landscape for donating the tree!
Thanksgiving Trivia
When you are gathered around the table with friends and family for Thanksgiving, here are a few fun conversation starters:
TV dinners have Thanksgiving to thank. In 1953, Swanson misjudged the number of turkeys it would sell. Someone suggested cutting them up and putting them in a frozen meal, and the TV dinner was born!
Not everyone is able to take Black Friday off to go shopping! Plumbers are busier that day than any other day of the year. Hmmm …. could it be all those guests overindulging themselves the day before?
Every toddler can tell you in the cutest voice that turkeys gobble gobble. However, that is only half true. Only male turkeys, called toms, gobble. Female turkeys, called hens, cackle. No snide remarks allowed here, guys!
Hopefully, your Thanksgiving turkey will not be saying anything, but rather sitting splendidly on a platter on your table. Or perhaps you have chosen the vegetarian Tofurkey instead. Whatever your menu and wherever you celebrate it, all of us here at Peninsula Community Library want you to know that we are thankful for YOU!
Happy Thanksgiving!
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
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