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Thanksgiving 2020: What’s Open, What’s Closed, What’s Virtual

President Franklin D. Roosevelt carves the White House turkey on Nov. 20, 1933. FDR later signed the law setting Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt carves the White House turkey on Nov. 20, 1933. FDR later signed the law setting Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt carves the White House turkey on Nov. 20, 1933. FDR later signed the law setting Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November.

Warwick, RI — Thanksgiving 2020, the annual holiday of thanks and family however you define it, inspired by tales of the Pilgrims in the 1620s, is marked by feasting and local traditions, including the Turkey Trot Road Race and Small Business Saturday, all gone virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First, a few Thanksgiving facts to impress the family:

  • The date of Thanksgiving wasn’t formalized until Reconstruction in the 1870s; before that, states observed the holiday on different days. President Abraham Lincoln set Thanksgiving to the last Thursday in November in 1863, but  Southern states rejected the idea at the time.
  • President George Washington declared the first national Thanksgiving holiday, on Nov. 26, 1789. [source: Wikipedia]
In Warwick, City Hall and the school department are closed for the holiday, with schools also closed on Friday. Trash and recycling are delayed one day.

TF Green State Airport is operating, with arrival and departure schedules online.

The annual Thanksgiving Day football game, between Pilgrim and Toll Gate has been cancelled due to the pandemic. In fact, Gov. Gina Raimondo has asked Rhode Islanders to celebrate Thanksgiving within their own households to better control the rising number of COVID-19 cases as the holiday season begins in earnest.

Banks are also closed.

Virtual Turkey Trot

There are a couple of Thanksgiving Day events in Warwick, too, including the Virtual Rotary 5K Turkey Trot to benefit The Rhode Island Critical Incident Stress Management TEAM, the Westbay Marketplace Food Pantry, and the Warwick Rotary Charity Fund.

The pandemic makes the usual Turkey Trot inadvisable, but if you’d like to participate in the virtual trot:

Virtual Ocean State Artisans Holiday Crafts Show

You can also indulge in and support local crafts and artisans during this year’s Virtual  Ocean State Artisans Holiday Crafts Show running today through Dec. 6.

Ocean State Artisans’ annual show features more than 100 local artisans for safe and convenient Holiday Shopping!

Virtual Small Business Saturday – Shop RI

Don’t miss out on the chance to support local business during Rhode Island’s Small Business Saturday virtual event coming up this weekend!

The event, usually hosted at the Crowne Plaza from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. features more than 100 small business from Rhode Island selling their goods and services.

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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