Greetings VA-HIST Members, The latest installment of the new public radio show about American history, "BackStory With the American History Guys"--hosted by Peter Onuf, Ed Ayers, and Brian Balogh and based at Charlottesville's Virginia Foundation for the Humanities--is a history of Thanksgiving. Here is a blurb describing the show: American As Pumpkin Pie: A History of Thanksgiving When you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Turkey on the table? Football on TV? Dad in a dress? Before the 1900s, it was common among the lower classes for cross-dressing masqueraders to parade drunkenly through the city demanding Thanksgiving treats. Our more solemn Thanksgiving begins not with the Pilgrims, but with the Victorians, who sought a national holiday honoring home and family. In 1863, one such Victorian, Sarah Hale, convinced President Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. So did Thanksgiving strengthen the Union as Lincoln hoped? What relation do Indians have to the holiday in reality and in myth? How readily have immigrants adopted stuffing and cranberry sauce? And what are we celebrating, anyway? I would like to invite you all to participate as callers on the show--how is the history of this holiday related to Virginia's story? Being a caller takes about ten minutes and involves asking a question or sharing a story related to the topic at hand with the (very informed and friendly) hosts and sticking around for the discussion to follow. We are recording calls this Thursday morning (10/9) from 8-11am EST. If you are interested, please email me ASAP ([log in to unmask]) and I can give you more details. Find out more about the show at www.backstoryradio.org. *Please feel free to share this announcement with any friends, family, or colleagues you think might be interested.* Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon! -- Catherine Moore Assisting Producer of Research BackStory With the American History Guys Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Radio 145 Ednam Drive Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-924-4403 www.backstoryradio.org [log in to unmask] ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html