Philomath residents will celebrate Thanksgiving this week each in their own way whether that involves a warm, cozy day at home with a turkey in the oven or a road trip out of town to share the occasion with relatives.
Curious about some Thanksgiving-related activities in and around Philomath, this installment of The Philomath 5 series takes a random look at specific events from the past ranging from the shooting of clay pigeons in the late 19th century to the rebirth of an annual fundraiser that took place just last week.
1. Pigeon shoot (1895)
A large crowd of sportsmen turned out for a Thanksgiving Day clay pigeon shoot in Philomath on Nov. 28, 1895. Harvey Newton, a local who was a pitcher on Philomath’s town baseball team, won the event over a man identified only in a news report as Mr. Williams.
Shooting contests were common Thanksgiving traditions for decades in this country — turkey shoots taking top billing (whether that involved live turkeys or winning frozen turkeys as a prize). But trapshooting with clay pigeons also had its place. It’s been written that the activity in those days was organized as a way to keep the men out of the house on Thanksgiving morning while the women stayed home to focus on preparing the holiday dinner.
2. Fire department fundraiser (1931)
To help raise money for the Philomath Fire Department’s building fund to construct “a suitable building in which to house the fire truck,” the Lions Club hosted a Thanksgiving evening play. Entitled “A Poor Married Man,” the three-act comedy reportedly attracted a good crowd. One person in attendance spoke on the work and importance of the fire department and in between acts of the play, there were various musical performances that took place — including tap dancing, a banjo number and bugle calls.
3. Trail Riders annual event (1971)
The Corvallis Trail Riders organization had its traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner earlier than usual in 1971. The group met at the Independent School Hall near Philomath for a feast that up to that point had been a tradition for 20 years. “It is the one time of the year that all the preparation, service and cleanup is handled entirely by the men,” a newspaper article on the event reported. The “chefs” met the night before at the home of Richard Ott near Philomath to fix the dressing and prepare three 20-pound turkeys for the oven. The next morning at the school, the turkeys were roasted and the rest of the menu prepared.
4. Summit’s traditional feast (1979)
Forty-six years ago in downtown Summit, a 20-minute drive out of Philomath to the west and north, folks established a tradition of hosting a potluck dinner on Thanksgiving. The event was apparently organized to bring together new residents to the Coast Range. Cathy Downing, who wrote a newspaper column back in the day, reported that in 1979, Jean Newman “cooked a fat turkey and someone else brought ham” while others pitched in with “typical ’70s dishes in various shades of brown and yellow.” The Thanksgiving potluck that year, which took place at the grange hall, reportedly attracted 15 to 20 people. Old-timers may recall that even before this event, the Summit Grange for several years hosted a Thanksgiving supper gathering.
5. Playing bingo to win a turkey (2004)
Of course we can’t put together this short list without mentioning Turkey Bingo, especially since it returned to Philomath last week for the first time in years. The popular event was first established in 2004 to raise money for Philomath Outdoor School. Organizers have always planned for it to occur on the Friday before Thanksgiving. In 2016, voters approved a measure to fund outdoor schools around the state. Turkey Bingo continued as a fundraiser for other programs but went away with the pandemic. Last week with its return, the money raised was earmarked for the middle school’s performing arts program.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
