I remember many Thanksgivings in the Richmond of long ago (for me, 1935-1965). Thanksgiving originally was not an annual holiday and was celebrated only if the President of the United States issued a proclamation. President Franklin Roosevelt tried to change it from the fourth Thursday in November to the third Thursday of November, but the public rose in protest and he changed it back.
In Great Britain, there is a similar celebration in October to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. Food is brought forward and left at the altar in the church. Canadians celebrate a Thanksgiving like us, but they wisely celebrate it in the more temperate month of October.
At Model School, I remember dressing up as pilgrims or Native Americans and re-enacting the first Thanksgiving — as best we could. At first, only Thursday was a school holiday, then Friday was added. At Eastern, the holiday eventually was expanded to three days (Wednesday through Friday) to allow students to travel to and from their homes.
The only community celebration I remember was a joint worship service on Thursday morning. The downtown churches rotated as hosts and their pastors took turns presenting a service. In this venue, Thanksgiving was very much a thank you to God.
At home we enjoyed turkey, lima beans, pumpkin pie, etc. We also had country ham. My father bought them “green” for 50 cents a pound, peppered and seasoned them, and hung them in the basement to cure. With this ham, we enjoyed red eye gravy. My father always kept a large vegetable garden in the summer. My mother would can in season and placed row after row of Ball mason jars in the cool, dark basement. Thus we had a basement full to draw from for Thanksgiving dinner! Woe be unto the lad who dropped one of the glass jars on the way up the steps to the kitchen. My mother also prepared homemade rolls for this occasion. The dough was placed in a large bowl on the mantel so it would rise to perfection.
Football was part of our Thanksgiving tradition even back then. Louisville Male and Louisville Manual always played their ultimate game for city-wide bragging rights on that Thursday. Kentucky and Tennessee also followed this Thanksgiving Thursday tradition. Following football over the radio allows for an exercise in imagination on the part of the audience and a display of vocabulary on the part of the radio announcer that is, sadly, now largely a lost art.
One year when the big game was conducted in Knoxville, a heavy snow came on Thanksgiving Day. All of the returning U.K. fans were funneled up Main Street in Richmond, as U.S. 25 went right through the center of town and the interstate did not exist. Many cars were stuck in the snow here in town. I vividly remember one tractor-trailer truck stuck and spinning its wheels trying to get up our Main Street slope.
With hundreds of motorists stranded, the citizens of Richmond opened their homes and churches and took them in out of the cold. Richmond did well for the stranded fans and they, in turn, had much to be thankful for in the form of helpful Madison County neighbors.
Finally, back in this period, no Christmas merchandise or decorations appeared until after Thanksgiving. Those were the days.
I wish a happy and memorable Thanksgiving to you one and all.
Local News
Thanksgivings of Long Ago
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Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. -
Volunteers needed for equine therapy
The Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center will be hosting two, one-day volunteer training workshops for those interested in helping others with special needs.
The volunteer orientation days will be Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but only one day of training is required, according to Mark Martin who co-owns Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center (AFTEC) with his wife Cheryl.
The all-volunteer organization, which is based in Jackson County, uses horses to help humans deal with physical and emotional challenges. -
Man accused of holding samurai sword to girlfriend’s throat
A Madison grand jury will hear the case of a man accused of threatening to cut his girlfriend’s head off, and attacking her father with a samurai sword.
Russell M. Masters, 42, of Richmond, is charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, which is a Class D felony, and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence with minor injury) and resisting arrest, which both are Class A misdemeanors. Masters could receive one to five years in prison on each wanton endangerment charge, and the misdemeanors both carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail. -
Arrest made in connection with stolen jewelry, computer
Richmond police have made an arrest in connection with property stolen from two homes last fall.
A woman reported to police Monday that she had discovered several items that were missing from her home on South Killarney Drive and her grandmother’s home on Raintree Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock. The items were a set of gold hoop earrings, a white Sony Vaio laptop, a yellow gold heart pendant, a gold tennis bracelet and a ladies’ wedding band with a diamond setting.
The complainant said the belongings had gone missing sometime between August and October. -
US 25 business owners scared of five-lane plan
Voices of Berea business owners upset about upcoming construction on US 25 will be taken to the state level, according to city administrator Randy Stone.
Several people operating businesses along a section of US 25 gave comments Tuesday to the Berea City Council, asking them reconsider plans to widen the road to five lanes.
The design is a five-lane highway with a center turn lane and a 10-foot shared use path on one side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other side. -
Grand jury to hear copper theft case
The attorney for a man accused of stealing copper from a handful of electric poles questioned his identification as the same person who took copper from 32 poles two days earlier.
Public defender Meena Mohanty questioned Richmond police officer Nicholas Duvall during a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Madison District Court. Her client, Jeffrey W. Nester, 46, of Fourth Street, was arrested in connection with a Jan. 23 copper theft. He is charged with second-degree criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, possession of burglary tools and failure to notify address change to the Department of Transportation. These charges are all misdemeanors that, at most, carry a sentence of one year in prison. -
Judge weighs constitutionality of legislative redistricting
Kentucky’s deadline for filing to run for legislative seats was in flux on Monday because a judge did not immediately rule on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries.
Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said he expects to enter a ruling in the case by mid-week.
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Couple recovering from injuries suffered in weekend house fire
A couple was hospitalized after their home was set ablaze Sunday by a spark from a cigar, according to a county fire official.
County Fire Chief Jim Cox said the city and county fire departments were called to the home at 111 Concord Road in the early afternoon. Waco Volunteer Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department also responded.
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