•November 23 2022•

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends and reflect on one’s blessings. In 2022, Canadian Thanksgiving takes place on October 10, while Americans celebrate on November 24. In anticipation of these holidays, here are some interesting facts about the Thanksgiving celebration.
1. American Thanksgiving is largely modeled on a 17th century harvest feast shared by the English settlers and the Wampanoag tribe.
2. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. It is based on European harvest festivals.
3. The National Turkey Federation says around 45 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving, which equates to about 720 million pounds of turkey being consumed (with the average turkey size being 16 pounds).
4. The Butterball hotline answers roughly 100,000 calls every year on its turkey question hotline.
5. In 1953, the Swanson company overestimated the number of frozen turkeys it would sell for the holiday season by 26 tons. Rather than waste the meat, Swanson sliced it up, repackaged it and created the first frozen TV dinners.
6. Thanksgiving in America may be older than many recognize. While Thanksgiving is largely tied to the 17th century settlers, the National Parks Service says in 1565 Spanish settlers in St. Augustine (now Florida) celebrated by having a meal to which they invited the native Seloy tribe. The Spanish served pork stew, sea biscuits, red wine, and garbanzo beans. Some say the Seloy contributed turkey, venison and maize.
7. Thanksgiving didn’t become a civic holiday until Abraham Lincoln made it one after the Civil War tragedy. Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday on October 20, 1864.
8. The Pilgrims did not refer to themselves as “pilgrims.” They used the word “separatists” as they were separating themselves from a larger belief system.
9. In addition to Canada and the United States, Grenada, Liberia, the Philippines, Saint Lucia, and the Netherlands celebrate their own versions of Thanksgiving.
10. Each year, the American president “pardons” a turkey from slaughter on Thanksgiving. This tradition dates back to when Abraham Lincoln’s son was upset that his family’s turkey that was going to be killed for Thanksgiving dinner.
11. According to the U.S. Calorie Control Council (CCC), an average American may consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.
12. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual tradition. People line the parade route in New York City or tune in to watch the parade on television. It originated in 1924 and the famed balloons were added in 1927.
13. Apple pie is the pie of choice for Thanksgiving, even though pumpkin pie is prevalent this time of year.
Thanksgiving is a popular holiday in Canada and the U.S. Many traditions have been borne of the holiday, and it is a favorite time of year for many people. TF22B480

•November 16, 2022•

The Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association has announced the 2022 Academic Girls All-State. High School volleyball players who received this recognition are Avery Bruns - Honorable Mention, Bailey Bennett - Honorable Mention and Academic All-State, Danielle Simpson - Academic All-State, Reese Nichols - Academic All-State and Lindsey Ozier - Academic All-State, all of Okaw Valley High School. Criteria for the recognition are players must have played in more than 50% of the teams total sets and they must have at least a 3.75/4 or 4.68/5 unweighted gpa.

•November 16, 2022•

The W.H.A.T. Community Group is hosting Windsor Wonderland on Saturday, December 3 on Maine Street in Windsor. The evening will begin with visits with Santa at the Storm Memorial Library from 3:30-5:00 pm. Following, there will be free Christmas Carnival games and activities from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm on Maine Street near the Post Office. At 7:00, the large Christmas tree will be lit.

•November 9, 2022•

The University of Illinois, in cooperating partnership with Decatur Catholic Charities and Windsor School District will have a mobile food pantry on Wednesday, December 7 from 4 to 5 pm at Windsor Grade School. A mobile food pantry delivers a 2 week supply of food per family in rural communities. Any individual or family that does not have a steady food supply qualifies to receive food. No financial information is required to qualify. The distribution is open to all, not only residents of Windsor. Deadline to sign up is Thursday, December 1. To sign up call 217-774-9546 Monday through Friday from 8 am to Noon and 1 to 4:30 pm. Once your form is completed by phone, you will be given a number to bring with you on the day of distribution. If you lose your number, you need to bring identification. Food will be distributed according to household size at the Windsor Grade School cafeteria.

•November 9, 2022•

The Bethany Senior Citizens Potluck will be held on Wednesday, November 16 at Bethany Firehouse. Bingo is at 10:00 am and lunch will be served at 11:00 am. Bring a covered dish. Turkey, trimmings, coffee and ice tea will be furnished. Everyone is welcome to attend.