For Immediate Release:
November 26, 2008
Freeholders wish everyone a safe, happy Thanksgiving
FREEHOLD – The Board of Chosen Freeholders wishes everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend and reminds residents to take time to enjoy the start of the holiday season.
“As we celebrate this uniquely American holiday with turkey and all the trimmings, we must be thankful for all the blessings we have,” Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry said. “Among those is the freedom to live and self-govern as we choose. There is a price for that freedom, so I urge everyone to also thank our service men and women and pray that they, too, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.”
“The fact that we can get together with family and friends each year and celebrate Thanksgiving is truly wonderful,” Freeholder Barbara J. McMorrow said. “I ask that you take a moment to think about those who may not have food on their tables this weekend. Some of our neighbors need our help thorough these tough financial times – your food donation will be a big help. You can make a difference by donating to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.”
The Board of Chosen Freeholders also reminds residents that there are plenty of local events and shopping close to home to make the upcoming holiday season enjoyable and, hopefully, less hectic. Below is a list of events and activities taking place over the long holiday weekend:
- Allentown All Aglow in Historic Allentown - Nov. 28 at 5 p.m.
- Annual Gingerbread Decorating Contest in Historic Allentown - Nov. 28 and 29
- Town & Tree Lighting in Red Bank featuring a Holiday Express Concert, Red Bank - Nov. 28
- The Holiday Wine Trail Weekend, Four JG’s, Colts Neck - Nov. 28, 29 and 30
- Santa Express at the Red Bank Train Station, Red Bank - Nov. 28
- Midnight Madness at Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, Tinton Falls - Nov. 28
- Last Comic Standing Live 2008!, Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank – Nov. 29
- NY Theatre Ballet: Carnival of the Animals & Cinderella, Manasquan – Nov. 28 and 29
- Sixth Annual Window Walk, Red Bank – Nov. 29
- Jersey Shore Roller Girls Derby, Asbury Park – Nov. 29
- Holiday Harmonies, Red Bank – Nov. 29
- Christmas from Dublin with the Three Irish Tenors, Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank – Nov. 29
- Holiday Boardwalk Concert and Tree Lighting, Asbury Park - Nov. 30 at 6 p.m.
- Ronan Tynan: The Gift of Christmas Song, Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank - Nov. 3
Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.
In the fall of 1621, the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, an event many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving.
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