Thanksgiving Miscellany

A little post-prandial link dump, for inclusion of Thanksgiving-related stories that I did not manage to fit into my longer piece.

For your dining and relaxing entertainment, the Library of Congress offered two old songs, George W. Morgan's "National Thanksgiving Hymn," dedicated to President Rutherford B. Hayes, and James Blyler's "The Turkey Gobbler's Ball," from the Ziegeld Follies of 1911 (not a Thanksgiving piece, but obviously, thematically appropriate).  As a visual treat, LC provides a poster for the 1895 Thanksgiving issue of The Chapbook.

And because, as we have seen, gratitude toward soldiers, past and present, is emerging as a strong theme of Thanksgiving, the LC also offers a sample of the testimony collected in conjunction with the Veterans History Project (VHP), a continuation of the many efforts it promoted in association with Veterans' Day.   Video here.

Meanwhile, the folks over at NPR's new classical music blog, "Deceptive Cadence," noting (in the e-mail teaser) that "Opera is often about romance and revenge, but even lovers and scoundrels have to eat," offers up a "A Bel Canto Banquet: The Thanksgiving Culinary Classical Quiz." Visitors to the site listen to an audio clip and then drag its emblem onto the visual representation of the appropriate food group.

You can enjoy all of these pursuits from your own home, or your computer, wherever you may be.  But if you're in our area, namely the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, you may wish to visit Historic Deerfield on Saturday the 27th for the "Season of Thanks" program. All day, the re-enactors of the "Society of the 17th Century" will demonstrate English crafts and folkways from the Pilgrim era in the historic Hall Tavern (included in price of general admission).