I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and I certainly wouldn’t mind if we celebrated it like the commonly known first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621. It is reported that as many as 50 surviving Pilgrims and as many as 70 Wampanoags sat down to partake in that first feast. And it was by historical accounts a three day fest. Though I am more a fan of the food we eat today than what was likely on the menu back then.
Reading recently about the historic first feast…the menu that day likely included the following…
So, popular myths aside, what can be ruled out of the equation from the English transplants’ table? Potatoes—white or sweet—would not have been featured on the 1621 table, and neither would sweet corn. Bread-based stuffing was also not made, though the Pilgrims may have used herbs or nuts to stuff birds. Instead, the table was loaded with native fruits like plums, melons, grapes, and cranberries, plus local vegetables such as leeks, wild onions, beans, Jerusalem artichokes, and squash. (English crops such as turnips, cabbage, parsnips, onions, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme might have also been on hand.) And for the starring dishes, there were undoubtedly native birds and game as well as the Wampanoag gift of five deer. Fish and shellfish were also likely on the groaning board.
Excerpt taken from the following web site… http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/thanksgiving/first
The article goes on to say that even wild turkey may have also been on the menu. Both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags were known to eat them and there were plenty around. That’s more my style… turkey, mashed potato, stuffing (with or without meat), squash, turnip, peas, beans, cranberry sauce and gravy all make for a great meal. So no matter what’s on your menu, be thankful you can enjoy the day and be with your family. Please give thanks to those Americans serving in our Armed Forces and most especially for those serving in harm’s way.
The end of November brings with it a great run of events and activities between now and Christmas. Below are some of the events kicking off next week:
Santa’s Arrival @ Amelia Park Children’s Museum, South Broad Street, Friday, November 23, 2012 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m;
Steampunk Workshop @ Westfield Athenaeum; Saturday, November 24, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m, FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-12;
WVTHS CRAFT FAIR, Westfield Vocational-Technical High School, Sunday, November 25, 2012 09:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m;
Lanternlight Parade/Green lighting; Park Square/ Westfield Athenaeum; Monday, November 26, 2012 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m;
For more information on what’s happening in downtown…check out the Westfield on Weekends Website:
http://westfieldonweekends.com/events-calendar
and the Westfield Business Improvement web site…http://www.thedistrictwestfield.com/
I would like to congratulate Mr. Jeff Daley for being named the Westfield Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the year for 2012. Mr. Daley is the city’s Advancement Officer. He is our chief economic officer in the city and is also the Executive Director of the Westfield Redevelopment Authority.
Since his arrival in the summer of 2010, Jeff has overseen approximately 95 million dollars in private capital investment, negotiated agreements that have generated over 300 new jobs and retained over 700 existing jobs. Additionally, he has obtained state grants totaling near 5 million dollars for Barnes Regional Airport and the new Airport Industrial Park project, 3 million for the Columbia Greenway which is being built now, $480,000 for the demolition and environmental cleanup of the former Block and Hampden Bank properties, $25,000 grant for the initial development plan of the Turnpike Industrial Park. He has also been the chief negotiator for our solar projects and has served as an advisor to our airport commission, assisting them with establishing leases and economic opportunities for our airport. And as we turn our attention to Elm Street, Jeff will be working to bring a new project to our Elm Street site. I invite you all to attend the first unveiling of the “Plan for the Future” on December 12 at 6:30 at the South Middle School. This is the official start of the planning phase for our Elm Street Revitalization Project.
I would also like to congratulate Mr. Mike Coffey. Mike was selected as the Don Blair Community Service Award winner by the Chamber. Mike has been a big part of the many non for profits in our city and has always been there to help when someone needed him.
And last week, thank you to all the citizens that attended the Western Avenue Reconstruction Meeting at the Highland School last week. We are at the very beginning of the design phase and it is important to attend the meetings, send emails or call me or your councilor so that your ideas can be considered. This is a once in a lifetime chance to remake Western Avenue. I am mindful that in the generations to come, the University certainly has the capacity to grown well beyond its population today. I am also mindful that many citizens feel traffic travels too fast on the street. And because of its residential nature, and our renewed focus on bicycle traveling in town, there are many interests that need to be considered.
And for those citizens that believe the University should simply build the access road talked about years ago to Route 20, that’s not going to happen. What started out as a great idea to solve many issues that confront the neighborhood, ended up in the end, becoming too costly to continue. What was once thought to be a 2 million dollar projected, once vetted out, likely would have approached 10 million dollars as the road it was determined needed to meet DOT standards. So I encourage everyone that has a stake in the area to work together so that we can ensure the finished product satisfies the greater interests of all involved. As the design moves along, we will have additional meetings to share with you the feedback we have received.
We have published another edition of “around the Whip City.” So please check that out at http://www.cityofwestfield.org/?p=3894 . Don’t forget to watch my TV show… “It’s Your City.” It is on Channel 15 on Sundays at 4 p.m., Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. It can also be seen anytime at. http://vimeo.com/channels/201443 . Our featured businesses are Ezra’s Mercantile, Mina’s Wine and Spirits and the Tobacco Barn.
http://www.ezrasmercantile.com/ http://minaswineandspirits.com/ http://tobaccobarnwestfield.com/
And we have just released another installment of “Working in Westfield.” “Working” hosted by City Advancement Officer, Jeff Daley features Columbia Manufacturing. This long time business has a great Westfield Story to tell so you won’t want to miss it. (http://www.columbiamfginc.com/) “Working” airs on Channel 15 on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., Thursdays at 9:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. It can also be seen anytime at http://www.cityofwestfield.org/?page_id=6049.
As always if you have any questions call or email me at 413-572-6201 or [email protected].
Respectfully,
Dan Knapik, Mayor
