Thanksgiving feasting and festivities

Thanksgiving is just around the corner: the time to think about turkey, the trimmings, those visions of sugarplums, and so forth. Before we settle in for that Thanksgiving feast, welcome the holiday season by checking out some of the many Thanksgiving-themed events around the area.

An 1863 Thanksgiving
The early years of our national day of feasting and giving thanks comes alive at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. Imagine that it’s 1863 and you’re preparing a holiday meal for your family, following President Abraham’s Lincoln’s proclamation of the first official national holiday of Thanksgiving Day. What would it be like? Step back in time at Old Bethpage Village Restoration and find out when the village celebrates an “1863 Thanksgiving” this weekend and next.
It’s become an annual ritual for families to make a pre- or post-Thanksgiving trek to the re-created 19th-century village to immerse themselves in the sights and smells of the holiday season. In keeping with the tradition, the village is bustling with activity as it readies for an old-fashioned Thanksgiving: wood-burning stoves, beehive stoves, beehive ovens, and hearths are fired up to prepare foods and baked goods made from 19th-century recipes. Culinary exhibits include the “spitting” and roasting of turkey in a tin reflector oven beside the Williams House hearth and preparation of pies at the Powell House. The village also demonstrates 19th-century methods of food preservation employed for late fall crops.

Historical period music adds to the festive atmosphere each afternoon, while at the Noon Inn, children’s stories are read several times each day.
“This program, which is in itself a tradition at Old Bethpage Village, remains a wonderful way for Long Islanders to connect with 19th-century American culture during one of our most important national holidays,” said Jim McKenna, OBVR site director and curator.
Enjoy an old-fashioned Thanksgiving, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 19-20 and Nov. 26-27, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $10, $7 children and seniors. Old Bethpage Village Restoration is located on Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage. (516) 572-0200.

Feasting Native American-style
It wasn’t called Thanksgiving back then, of course, but Native Americans still made the most of nature’s bounty at harvest time. Another annual holiday tradition takes place at Garvies Point Museum and Preserve, where the season’s festivities take the form of a Native American version of a holiday feast. This feast celebrates the culture of Northeastern Native Americans.
The hands-on program gives visitors a first-hand look at the life of these early
Americans, through such activities as tool and pottery-making, fire-making, spear-throwing and the use of the atlatl (a spear-throwing tool). Primitive fire building and on-site cooking (including Garvies’ famous popcorn soup) are among the popular activities throughout the weekend.
Visitors can sample the native foods and learn about the process of creating “dugout” canoes. In addition, there are displays of artifacts from the museum collection and an authentic reproduction of a wigwam, always a favorite with kids and parents.
The day also includes entertainment. Performers from Redhawk Native American Arts will share authentic dance and music, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
While there, take the opportunity to view the museum’s permanent exhibits, which showcase Long Island’s Native American culture and archaeology, as well as the geology of Long Island and New York State.
Explore the Native American experience, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 19-20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5. Garvies Point Museum and the adjoining 62-acre preserve are at 50 Barry Dr., in Glen Cove, by Hempstead Harbor. (516) 571-8010.