Tough times and turkey, paint it black locally, the coldest Thanksgiving
Tough times challenge efforts to feed the hungry on Thanksgiving
For some Minnesotans, putting that food on the table is a challenge. Communities and hunger relief organizations have been working for weeks to make sure everyone gets a meal, but higher food prices are making it harder (MPR News). On this the fourth Thanksgiving since the economy sank, prices for everything from airline flights to groceries are going up, and some Americans are scaling back. Yet in many households, the occasion is too important to skimp on. Said one mother: "I don't have much to give, but I'll be cooking, and the door will be open" (KSTP).
Freestyle Thanksgiving
The only bird on our table this year will be the pheasant painted on an odd vintage salad plate, part of the mix-and-match dinnerware that has become part of our new Thanksgiving tradition (Star Tribune).
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Beth Dooley spotlights local, seasonal Thanksgiving fare
Local food writer Beth Dooley's new cookbook focuses on helping people eat those seasonal foods all year long. Her book, "The Northern Heartland Kitchen," guides readers through our region's long, cold winters to our warm summers (MPR News).
Don't be tempted to let pets overindulge on Turkey Day
Gary Pearson will never forget the German shepherd that quit eating after Thanksgiving. The dog had a turkey neck bone lodged in its esophagus (Forum of Fargo Moorhead).
Heightened enforcement over Thanksgiving weekend
Last year during the Thanksgiving travel period, 16 motorists were killed and 1,834 arrested for driving while impaired. Of the 16 deaths, six were alcohol-related and seven were unbelted occupants, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (Worthington Daily Globe).
After the Friday frenzy, west central Minn. shoppers urged to turn their attention to Main Street businesses
Shopping on Black Friday has become a Thanksgiving tradition nearly as hallowed as turkey and stuffing and giving thanks. But what happens the next day -- the Saturday after Thanksgiving -- is becoming an incr-easingly popular day for shopping at small, locally-owned stores (West Central Tribune).
Op-ed: Black Friday shouldn't creep into Thursday
To this point Thanksgiving has managed to remain one of the few holidays that hasn't been trampled over by unrestrained over commercialism to this point. Now, even our day of thanks is falling victim (Rochester Post Bulletin).
By the numbers
Thanksgiving weather trivia
The coldest Thanksgiving days were in 1893, 1905 and 1985 when the temperatures bottomed out at -8 degrees.Measurable snow fell on 25 of the past Thanksgivings, about every five years or so. The most snow fell on Thanksgiving was 5" in 1970 (KARE11).
Hills by Josh Ebbers
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