Friday, November 25, 2011
Associated Press
NEW YORK
Spectators cheered and sang at annual Thanksgiving Day parades from New York to Philadelphia to Detroit, and friends enjoyed feasts with strangers at Occupy protest gatherings, reminding one another there is much to be grateful for despite the country’s hard economic times.
Delighted crowds gathered Thursday for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan under brilliant sunshine. Millions more viewed the live broadcast of the annual holiday production on television from the comfort of their homes.
“Here comes Snoopy!” said an excited Regan Lynch, 5, nudging her grandfather, Nick Pagnozzi.
Pagnozzi, 59, of Saddle River, N.J., drove into the city at 6 a.m. to get a seat on the bleachers along Central Park West. He said Regan wanted to make sure he took pictures of every balloon.
With winds gusting to 22 miles per hour and temperatures in the mid-30s, parade-goers in Detroit bundled up. Before the celebration, 21,000 runners followed the course for the Turkey Trot races. A cluster of Ford Model T cars in the parade testified to the city’s status as America’s battered but rebounding auto capital.
“I know that for many of you, this Thanksgiving is more difficult than most,” President Barack Obama said in his weekly radio address. “But no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for that most American of blessings, the chance to determine our own destiny.”
The president later telephoned 10 U.S. service members stationed abroad to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and praise their military service.
Dishing up Thanksgiving meals, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords appeared at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz. She used only her left hand as she served, a sign that physical damage remains from the injuries she suffered when she was shot in the head Jan. 8 as she met with constituents. Eighteen others were injured and six people died in the assault.
Giffords donned a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of “Gabby” sewn on the front. Her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, supported her from her left side as she worked the turkey station on the serving line.
“Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for your service,” she told Airman 1st Class Millie Gray of Kansas City, Mo.
Others in San Francisco, Oakland, Calif., and New York celebrated the holiday, serving turkey or donating their time in solidarity with the anti-Wall Street movement triggered by frustration with the slow pace of the economic recovery.
Some 3,000 meals were served in New York City. In Las Vegas, Occupy organizer Sebring Frehner said protesters had a potluck Thanksgiving meal at their campsite near the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He said he was happy to skip the traditional meal at home.
“Instead of hunkering down with five or six close individuals in your home, people you probably see all of the time anyway, you are celebrating Thanksgiving with many different families — kind of like the original Thanksgiving,” Frehner said.