THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411240650
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
The tribe of little Indians marched single-file, feathers from their headresses bouncing as they walked. They approached long tables, and sat down to a Thanksgiving meal of . . . pizza.
Don't panic, holiday traditionalists. It's not 1620, but 1994. The headresses were made of construction paper. The site of this meal was not a cabin in a colonial settlement but Manteo Elementary School.
But ask 5-year-olds at Manteo about the meaning of Thanksgiving, or what food they hope to see on the Thanksgiving table, and you'll get some candid, non-traditional answers.
``It's when you have an Indian Pow-Wow,'' said Taylen Overton. ``It's a party.'' Asked what his ideal holiday menu would include, Taylen said, ``pizza and sweet beans.''
Allen Stallings Jr. hasn't been in school long. He may not have grasped the historical significance of the holiday, but he knows what it means on the school calendar.
``It means you get out early, and get to eat a lot.''
One student made a connection between the holiday and the alphabet. When asked about Thanksgiving and turkey, Kizen Saunders said, ``They're `T' words.''Six-year-old Benjamin LePage announced that he is going to his grandmother's home for the holiday.
``My cousins are going to be there,'' he said. ``One of them is just a baby.''
Asked about the Thanksgiving menu at grandma's, Benjamin responded: ``Turkey, corn, and smashed potatoes.''
``It's a time to have fun,'' Benjamin's buddy Zack Clawson said. Zack provided a long list of foods for his Thanksgiving table: ``Turkey, pizza, mashed potatoes, beans, pie. . . ''
At that point, Benjamin interrupted. ``Boy, he's good,'' Benjamin said.
Some of the children have special things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Twin sisters Jennifer and Jessica Lee wear badges that read, ``I am the big sister of Erica.'' Erica Lee was born Sunday, they said.
Kate Harrell is thankful for ``My Mom and Dad, and my little sister Tess. It's a time to thank God for everything.''
Others knew the historical basis for the Thanksgiving holiday.
``It's about the Pilgrims. The Indians taught them how to make food and plant.'' He added, ``My teacher told me all this stuff.''
Whitney Tyler said the holiday is special ``because the Indians helped the Pilgrims with turkey and beans.''
But Korie Sawyer saw the holiday as something more than turkey and beans and Pilgrims and Indians.
``It means people love you.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
DREW C. WILSON/Staff
Eric Dean Smith, a 6-year-old first grader at Manteo Elementary
School, enjoys a slice of pizza on the last day of school before the
start of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
by CNB