Stepping Out

A time for feasting and festivities

Thanksgiving ushers in the holiday season around the area

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Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching — setting the stage for all the spectacle and delights of the festive season ahead. It’s the time to think about turkey, the trimmings, those visions of sugarplums, and so forth. Before everyone settles in for that day of feasting, step out and explore some of the many holiday-themed events nearby.

An 1863 Thanksgiving
It’s become an annual ritual for families to make a pre- or post-Thanksgiving trek to Old Bethpage Village Restoration’s re-created 19th-century village to immerse themselves in the sights and aromas of the holiday season, where those early years of our national day of feasting and giving thanks comes alive. Harken back to 1863 as families prepare their holiday meal, following President Abraham’s Lincoln’s proclamation of the first official national holiday of Thanksgiving Day. Step back in time and see what it would have been like when the village celebrates an “1863 Thanksgiving” this weekend and next.
In keeping with cherished traditions, the village bustles 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 authentic 19th-century recipes. The 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 displays 19th-century methods of food preservation employed for late fall crops.

Historical period music adds to the festive atmosphere in the afternoons, while at the Noon Inn, children’s stories are read several times each day.
Enjoy an old-fashioned Thanksgiving, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22-23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Nov. 29-30. $10, $7 children and seniors. Old Bethpage Village Restoration is located on Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage. (516) 572-8401.

Feasting Native American-style
Native Americans handed down time-honored practices involved with rejoicing over nature’s bounty at harvest time, even though it wasn’t Thanksgiving in the traditional sense. Yet, there was plenty of feasting and festivities as our Native Americans gathered to commemorate their harvest before preparing to settle in for the approaching winter.
Another annual holiday tradition — one that has been popular with Long Islanders for over 25 years now — takes place at Garvies Point Museum and Preserve prior to Thanksgiving each fall. The season’s festivities take the form of a Native American version of a holiday feast that celebrates the culture of Northeastern Native Americans.
This weekend’s 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 favorite activities enjoyed by all who participate.
Visitors can sample some authentic native foods and learn about the process of creating “dugout” canoes. In addition, there will be displays of artifacts from the museum collection and an authentic reproduction of a wigwam, always a favorite with kids and parents.
While there, be sure to 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. Films about Native American life are also shown hourly.
Explore the Native American experience, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22-23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $3, $2 ages 5-12. Garvies Point Museum and the adjoining 62-acre preserve are at 50 Barry Dr., in Glen Cove, by Hempstead Harbor. (516) 571-8010 or www.garviespointmuseum.com.

Holiday delights on ice
A special holiday treat awaits skating fans when the county’s Holiday Spectacular show visits Eisenhower Park’s new Twin Rinks Ice Center next Sunday. Local favorites Dean Karahalis and the Concert Pops Orchestra appear, accompanied by a skating performance featuring Samantha Cesario, 2014 U.S. Olympic team alternate, and young ice dancers with the Skating Club of New York.
Guest vocalists Deana Verone and Jim Sergi are joined by the Floral Park Memorial High School Chorus and the Bethpage High School Choir for a program of holiday and popular favorites.
Admission is free, but tickets are required. They are available at all Bethpage Federal Credit Union branches, Eisenhower Park’s Administration Building, the Aquatic Center, and at Twin Rinks. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items for donation to Island Harvest.
Celebrate the season, Sunday, Nov. 30, 4 p.m. Twin Rinks Ice Center is located at Eisenhower Park, 200 Merrick Ave., East Meadow. (516) 572-0200.