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Thanksgiving: What’s Open, What’s Up

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 — Today, Nov. 28, is Thanksgiving, the annual holiday tracing its roots back to the Pilgrims in the 1620s, marked by feasting, family in all forms, giving thanks, and, local traditions: the annual football game and Turkey Trot Road Race.

Early this morning, if you’re quick you can still sign up for the annual Rotary Turkey Trot 5K and work up that tryptophan appetite. Turkey Trot  starts at 8 a.m. – Race Day Registrations begin at 7:15 a.m. at the Warwick City Park Ball Fields, Steven O’Connor Blvd, Warwick, RI 02886.  Run/Walk starts at 8 a.m. This year the run will benefit the Warwick Rotary Charity Fund

Later this morning, it’s Toll Gate vs. Pilgrim football The seventh matchup in the Warwick varsity football Thanksgiving Day series between Toll Gate and Pilgrim kicks off at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Pilgrim High School.

For the less active and more historic revelers, 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 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a Congressional resolution on the day after Christmas in 1941 that set Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November.
  • President George Washington declared the first national Thanksgiving holiday, on Nov. 26, 1789. [source: Wikipedia]

And finally, the usual questions answered about holidays:

Thanksgiving  Questions Preempted

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.

Public transit company RIPTA is following holiday routes today. Check the RIPTA website for schedules.

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

The Post Office is closed, as are banks.

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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