Top Thanksgiving Traditions – Our Top Five
clarity, Flickr
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What could be better then eating all day and watching football? Not much! This got me to thinking about when the tradition of football, parades, eating turkey and dressing became apart of Thanksgiving. So I did a little research and here is what I found.
4links, Flickr
The First Broadcasted Thanksgiving Day Football Game
Turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie and football – a match made in heaven!
The person who thought of having football apart of the Thanksgiving tradition, was a genius! The University of Detroit Stadium hosted the first broadcasted Thanksgiving Day football game in 1934, pitting the Detroit Lions against the Chicago Bears and sparking a new tradition.
astrix611, Flickr
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Snoopy is my favorite hot air balloon in the parade.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a 48-hour whirlwind of activity. Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Today, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watch it on television.Tony Sarg, a children's book illustrator and puppeteer, designed the first giant hot air balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.
Meowster, Flickr
Americans Love Their Thanksgiving Turkeys
At my house we love Greenberg Turkey's!
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 46.5 million in 2011. Six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Indiana account for nearly two-thirds of the 248 million turkeys that will be raised in the U.S. this year. The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007. Three towns in the U.S. take their name from the traditional Thanksgiving bird, including Turkey, Texas (pop. 465); Turkey Creek, Louisiana (pop. 363); and Turkey, North Carolina (pop. 270).
JiffyCat, Flickr
Pumpkins and Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie with whipped topping – enough said!
Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York are the major pumpkin growing states, together they produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin in 2010. Total U.S. production was over 1.5 billion pounds According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.
henkle110936, Flickr
The Mayflower
I remember this song from grade school.
From the Pilgrims' reasons for leaving Europe to the treacherous journey across the Atlantic, musician and artist Jeffrey Lewis puts to song the story of the Mayflower.
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