PLYMOUTH, Mass., Oct. 3, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Thanksgiving and Plymouth go together like turkey & cranberry sauce, but Plymouth, Massachusetts doesn't celebrate on Thanksgiving Day only. Gray days and dark New England evenings are warmed and lit by the anticipation of the upcoming family gatherings that have been taking place for generations on the 4th Thursday in November.
Of special interest to visitors and Plymouthian's alike is America's Hometown Parade on Saturday, November 22nd. Macy's may have the Thanksgiving Day Parade but our parade follows the paths of the Pilgrim settlers who survived the first winter and celebrated a harvest feast with the Native People in 1621. Plan to spend the week and visit the Plymouth National Wax Museum, the nation's oldest public museum Pilgrim Hall, and Plimoth Plantation where you not only get to converse with 1st-person role players reenacting the daily lives of the Pilgrims but you can also gain a better understanding of how our modern Thanksgiving observance came to be through their exhibit: "Thanksgiving; Memory, Myth and Meaning".
On Thanksgiving Day, The Pilgrim Progress will reenact the march of the Pilgrims to church and the annual ecumenical church service will be held at First Parish Church on the site of the Pilgrim's original Fort/Meetinghouse.
The Wampanoag Natives lives were forever changed with the arrival of these English Colonists and 2003 is the 33rd annual "Day of Mourning" held on Cole's Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock. Here Native People will speak, demonstrate Native culture and bring awareness to their cause.
Special Thanksgiving Colonial Lantern Tours and a ride on the Plymouth Rock Trolley take you through Plymouth's quaint streets. Open also are the Pilgrim John Howland House in Plymouth and on Friday the 28th you can pay a visit to the John & Priscilla Alden House in Duxbury made famous by Longfellow's romantic but not-too-historically-accurate poem. Mayflower II floats alongside the State Pier and welcomes visitors through Sunday Nov. 30th and scenic Jenney Grist Mill will be demonstrating water-wheel corn grinding on Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Plymouth County has the unique historical responsibility to remain the epicenter of our National Thanksgiving Holiday. Plymouth County Development Council and Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit promotional organization and a Regional Tourist Council of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.We can be reached at (508) 747-0100, or via e-mail at info@SeePlymouth.com or on the web at www.SeePlymouth.com.
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