Vol. 52, No.46
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
November 26, 2014
Special Section
Local Events
Entertainment
Sports
Summer Travels
Temple City, San Gabriel, & ROSEMEAD PAGE 5
page 2, 3 Visit Car Culture at http://www.midvalleynews.com/
page 14
page 8-9
page 3
Visit Us Online at www.midvalleynews.com for more Highlights of Local Schools and Events from the San Gabriel Valley Area. Follow Us on
A Day to be Thankful: Celebrating Thanksgiving by Jo Anne Disney National
Thanksgiving is a special holiday celebrated around the World in many different ways. It seems “the Egyptians were thankful to the gods of the Nile for providing water for their crops; the Greeks celebrated with a festival when there was a good harvest; the Romans honored the goddess of grain, Ceres and thanked her for food; the Mayans ate turkey and corn at their harvest festival; the English believed a spirit lived in their crops and celebrated a good harvest; the Chinese believed that the moon plowed the heavens and their ceremony ‘Chung Ch’ui’ honors the good harvest,” just to name a few. But, historically, Thanks-
giving Day celebrates the Pilgrims coming to North America. The very first Thanksgiving celebration took place in 1621. However, there was no regular national Thanksgiving Day in the United States for many years. History books tell us that a woman by the name of Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of “Godley’s Lady’s Book,” worked for over 30 years to promote the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day. Besides her columns, she wrote letters to various presidents asking for their support. Then, in 1863, President Lincoln issued a proclamation making the last Thursday of November in that year “a day of thanks-
giving and praise to our beneficent Father.” For 75 years the tradition continued. In 1924, Macy’s Department Store began the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Today the parade attracts between 2 and 3 million spectators each year and a huge television audience. Finally in 1939, President Roosevelt “proclaimed Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated one week earlier.” Why? It was suppose to help businesses by extending the shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, Congress
finally declared that after 1941 the fourth Thursday of November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day and would be a legal holiday. Besides delicious homecooked food, Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to be celebrated with family and friends. Although we look
forward to the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to reflect and be grateful for all of the blessings in our lives.
me love. Thirteen, mom provides for me. Twelve, journalism teaches me to be a better writer. Eleven, friends help when I need help. Ten, Think Together helps me with homework. Nine, sisters are great helpers. Eight, brothers share with me. Seven, God sacri-
ficed for us. Six, Christmas brings my family together. Five, twenty dollars gives us food for the day. Four, grandparents care for me. Three, dad helps with school subjects. Two, my dog gives me joy. One, holidays give us fun times. Now you know what these
seventeen kids are thankful for.. Being thankful in November is a great time to do so because giving thanks acknowledges the things we already have.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!
Cogswell Cub Club Gazette Giving Thanks by Staff El Monte
Past or Current Resident
Do you know seventeen kids who are thankful? In November, the journalism classes from The Cogswell Cub Club Gazette are shar-
ing what they are thankful for. Each student gave his or her reasons for being thankful. Starting with number seventeen, food because it nourishes me. Sixteen, water for hydration. Fifteen, school prepares us for college. Fourteen, family gives