Monday, November 25, 2013

Updates

We are nearly sold out for the 40th year of the Wilderness Trail Christmas dinners with 435 reservations.

"Fort Loramie, Main Street and Beyond" is sold out but we will probably be getting reprints in paperback. Price hasn't been determined.

Scott Trostle will be speaking on the 1913 flood for the Shelby Soil and Water Conservation District annual dinner at St. Michael's Hall on Dec. 5 at 7 pm. Tickets are $10 and there is a buffet. Call 937-492-6520

Friday, November 22, 2013

Letter


Email from Larry Monroe

Sounds like everyone there is going to be busy the next month. Sure is a change at St. Michael's !
Spent Oct 17-20 in San Diego at a Navy reunion (VP-48). On Sunday we went over to the USS Midway (CVA-41) which is now a museum. It was my home for two years during Viet Nam. Never thought I was going to get off of there during those dark days, now I'm paying to go aboard. If you ever get down that way it is worth a trip although a bit spendy at $19. Lots of aircraft and simulators that you can actually operate.

Best wishes for the holidays !"

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving Holiday grew out of harvest festivals held by people since the beginning of time usually at the end of the growing season to celebrate a good harvest and to give thanks. The United States tradition is tied to a celebration supposedly held by the pilgrims in 1621. Different days were proclaimed by colonial governors until 1789 when President Washington proclaimed November 26 "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God".

Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date in all the states in 1863 by proclamation of President Lincoln due to campaigning by author Sarah Josepha Hale who wrote letters to politicians for 40 years promoting a national day for the holiday. Hale was the editor of "Godey's Ladies' Book" and author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

Thanksgiving existed every year by proclamation of the president and was always the last Thursday of November until 1939 when the last Thursday was November 30. The depression was still going on and merchants thought that if there was more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas people would buy more. They pushed President Roosevelt into moving the date to the week before. This caused a huge uproar. School holidays, tests and football games had to be rescheduled. Many states stayed with the original date and confusion reigned until 1941 when Congress proclaimed the holiday to be on the 4th Thursday of November.

Some information from Wikipedia.