Celebrating history

by Rona Trachtenberg

In 1996, Plymouth resident Joe McStow created a pre-Thanksgiving Day weekend event for locals, visitors, and tourists. It was so well-received that he continued hosting it for four more years. In 2000, Olly deMacedo, a Plymouth businessman, took over as Executive Director and he has lovingly overseen every detail of the America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration for the past 23 years.

With the celebration in its 27th year, de Macedo is still “proud to continue the tradition that Joe started. Our team of dedicated volunteers works behind the scenes year-round to keep this fantastic historic event going. It is a labor of love for county and community. We are a nonprofit organization and we all have worked diligently to establish this weekend as one of the best events in Massachusetts. Indeed, it is a nationally-ranked Thanksgiving Celebration of our nation’s history. Our mission is history and tradition. We strive to educate, preserve, and tell America’s story throughout the weekend.” The celebration lasts three days (November 17, 18, and 19) and takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Plymouth’s Memorial Hall is the site of two excellent ticketed concerts: Friday night features the Plymouth Philharmonic, and Saturday night hosts the annual National Drum and Bugle Corp concert. Sandwiched in between is the big Saturday morning event: America’s only historically accurate chronological parade televised live to millions of viewers by WCVB, Channel 5 TV, and streaming on-demand on Very Local Boston.

“We visually and authentically bring history to life by representing every century since the Pilgrims landed here,” explained deMacedo. “What makes this parade so special and what keeps the 150,000 to 175,000 spectators coming back year after year is that they are eager to see the unique theme we have chosen and the new floats we created to represent that historical achievement.

“We are all about showing gratitude to our country and celebrating the successful accomplishments of our nation,” said deMacedo.

“To that end, this year’s theme: The Price of Freedom will be represented by a float in honor of Norman Rockwell’s 1943 Four Freedoms artwork, which toured the US and raised $132 million dollars for the WWII effort.

“Among our other 23 new historic floats will be the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the 100th anniversary of the Teddy Bear, the 80th anniversary of the (1943) PT109, and a replica of the Vietnam War’s Huey Helicopter."

The parade’s opening ceremonies start at 9:15 a.m. at the Pilgrim Memorial Park (Plymouth Rock) at 79 Water Street with a special musical presentation by the 6-String Soldiers of the US Army Field Band. The parade will include 12 marching bands, with one from as far away as Minnesota. Reenactors will be in period dress from the 16th through 20th centuries. All five military branches will be represented by their respective marching groups and our veterans will be honored for their service – especially those who paid the ultimate price. In past years, weather and wind permitting, spectators were wowed by a military helicopter flyover. Last, but not least, everyone gets into the spirit of Christmas as the Santa float signifies the end of this wonderful 2.5-mile parade.

If you bring canned goods, you can place them on the Hometown Express float as it rides by. All donations will go to the local food banks that help feed families in need for Thanksgiving!

Once the Saturday parade is over, spectators and marchers all unite at the waterfront to enjoy the Food Truck Alley, Craft Beer/Wine Tent, Children’s Pavilion, music by the opening ceremony performers, and the Portal to the Past Reenactment Village, where living historians from four centuries of American history demonstrate what life was like back then.

On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can enjoy the Harvest Market.

If you are looking for a fun family activity to perk up the middle of November, you will want to mark your calendar to attend one, two, or all three days of the exciting historic America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration in Plymouth.

For more information, visit usathanksgiving.com.