Another year has flown by and Thanksgiving is here! As many of you know, we will soon become an Independent Hotel and will no longer be with Ramada, but we could not have done this change without you. Over the years, you have stayed at the Saga Inn and/or Ramada Maingate – At The Park, and we have enjoyed having you as a guest. You keep us motivated day in and day out, and we thank you for that. We have been in business for over 40 years thanks to you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Are you joining us during this special time? We sure do hope so. It’s time to stuff the turkey and stuff your bellies full of delicious food. Back long long ago, they actually didn’t eat turkey, potatoes or pie for Thanksgiving and it wasn’t just a one day holiday. So how did this lovely holiday come about and when did it finally become an official holiday?
The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 when the pilgrims invited the local natives to come eat with them. YUM! But Thanksgiving didn’t become a holiday until 200 years later. What is really interesting is that Thanksgiving was a 3 day festival that consisted of eating, hunting, and anything to honor the pilgrim’s first harvest. The Indians would work really hard on hunting day to kill deer for the colonists. So could you guess what was on the menu for Thanksgiving? Yup, you guessed it! Venison! They also ate other food that they were able to harvest such as corn, fowl, and barley. These items were readily available to have grown and be ready for the Thanksgiving feast.
It took quite some time for this holiday to come about. Long story short, George Washington made Thanksgiving a holiday on Thursday November 26, 1789, which was the last Thursday of the month (just like it is this year). Then Sarah Josepha Hale got inspired and wrote recipes for Thanksgiving which are now the staple foods for our Thanksgiving dinner. Of course you have to get her recipe book! It is a perfect gift and conversation starter.
Then Abraham Lincoln wanted to make sure that this holiday will forever be the last Thursday of November. Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up a week, so that it would give Christmas shoppers an extra week to prepare for Christmas, but not many people liked his idea, so in 1941, Frank D. Roosevelt made it a national holiday on the last Thursday of November each year.
So here we are now, 74 years later carrying on the traditions and making new ones with our family and friends. If you have decided to enjoy this holiday with us at Ramada Maingate – At The Park, then please share photos on social media and hashtag #rmatp or email us at jennifer@ramadamaingate.com and we will share your special memories with our fans. We love seeing photos of our happy guests.
