POTD: Tewksbury Turkeys Safe For Another Year

Our photo of the day was taken by the office of local dentist Steven Demetriau, DMD.

Things were a little dicey in the days leading up to Thanksgiving for a flock of Tewksbury turkeys. But on Friday morning, safe and sound for another year, the turkeys emerged from their undisclosed location and made their presence known at the Cottage Place plaza. This photo was posted by staff from the office of Dr. Steven C. Demetriou, DMD with the following caption: "Cottage Place resident turkeys greeted Dr. Steve this morning feeling confident they made it through another Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a wonderful day!" If you have a photo you'd like to be considered for Photo of the Day, you can email it to tewksbury@patch.com or text it to 978-413-8265.

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UPDATED: 'Rampage Ed' Leads Redmen Into Playoffs

Eddie Matovu and the Redmen are one win away from playing in a second consecutive Super Bowl.

Bill Belichick would love Eddie Matovu. The kid plays offense, defense, and special teams, and has become one of the best playmakers on a Tewksbury High football team that’s on the last leg of a special season. Born in Uganda, the 6-foot-1, 195 lb. Matovu helped Tewksbury beat Wilmington 18-6 in the 78th Thanksgiving Day meeting between the Redmen and Wildcats. “This was our biggest game of the year,” Matvou said after the game. “It’s great to go home on Thanksgiving with a win." Tewksbury, elated to have a healthy Matovu during the home-stretch, will try to go back to the Division 2 Super Bowl when they face Reading High (11-0) in a playoff rematch on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. at Reading High. Matovu’s skill set has been …

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Fire Officials Say Gobble Up Safety This Thanksgiving

Federal fire safety officials say the highest incidence of home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day.

(Courtesy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Fire Administration.) Did you know cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires in America? Many families gather in the kitchen, especially around Thanksgiving, but it can be one of the most hazardous rooms in the house if you don’t practice safe cooking behaviors. As you prepare to pull out your favorite Thanksgiving recipes, you should also pull out these safe cooking tips. The U.S. Fire Administration offers a number of other cooking tips. Please visit their site for additional information on fire safety.

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TELL US: What Is Your Favorite Thanksgiving Day Memory?

We'd like you to share your memories from Thanksgivings past, from football to food to family.

Football, food and family. Those seem to be the big themes each year at Thanksgiving. My favorite memory is walking into the home of my grandmother or my aunt and being flooded with the wonderful smells from the kitchen. My aunt had one of those old black, cast-iron stoves and there would always be a pan of homemade gravy heating on the stove top. What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving Day memories? We'd like you to share some of your memories, stories and maybe even an old photo or two. Happy Thanksgiving!!

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A Mom's Thoughts Before The Turkey Slides In The Oven

Columnist Christine Berry MacKenzie reflects on Thanksgiving traditions.

These days it often seems like time passes more and more quickly. Family life is hectic, parents and kids are busier than ever and, oftentimes, there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Unfortunately, that sometimes means that we, as moms, don’t always make the time to enjoy the same traditions that we did when we were kids. Holidays come and go quickly and, sometimes, Thanksgiving seems to have become nothing more than the day before the “silly season” of Christmas  shopping begins. Let’s face it, Christmas decorations seem to be going up earlier and earlier every year and, by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, we often seem to be so programmed into the upcoming holiday stress that we forget exactly what we should be giving …

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Elks To Host Thanksgiving Dinner For Seniors

November and December activities at the Tewksbury Senior Center.

The Elks Thanksgiving for Tewksbury Senior Citizens will be held this Thursday, November 15th at 6:00 PM. If there are enough people signed up for bus transportation, the bus will begin picking up Senior at 4:45 PM. Please be ready prior to pick-up time remembering that there are other people being picked up and that it takes time to get everyone. Thank you. On Friday, November 16th, the Silvertones Band will hold its monthly dance at the Senior Center from 7:00 to 10:00 PM. The dress is casual and the price is $10. Tickets are available at the door. Why not come on down and enjoy an evening of dancing or even just listening to good music. The Methuen Annual “Festival of Trees” will begin this coming weekend. Senior Citizens and Red …

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PHOTOS: Ryan School 10th Annual Turkey Trot

Whacky relays help to generate donations for the Tewksbury Community Food Pantry.

(The following information was submitted by the administration of the Ryan School.) On Wednesday, Nov. 23, 6th grade students at the Ryan School experienced a rite of passage as they competed in the annual Turkey Trot. Teams competed by earning points through a poster making contest, collection of donations for the Tewksbury Community Pantry, and a series of relay races (involving a frozen turkey, of course). Although the competition is for 6th grade only, 5th grade families were also invited to donate items to the Pantry.  Parent volunteers transported the three mini-vans full of donations to the pantry after the competition.  This is the 10th year for the Turkey Trot. Team 6B won their first Turkey Trot this year. Mr. Ron Drouin/gym …

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QUESTION: Favorite Thanksgiving Memories

Share your Thanksgiving memories.

The holidays are all about family, traditions and memories. It’s a chance to reconnect with family and friends whether through a card, email, phone call or catching up over dinner. Thanksgiving doesn’t have the cache of Christmas. There are no gifts or commercialism to distract us and because of this Thanksgiving is many people’s favorite holiday. Every family has its own traditions and memories that bring a smile. That favorite memory might be a big football game, but most likely it’s a special moment you shared with a loved one -- possibly someone who has since passed away. Patch wants to know: What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Let us know in the comment section. Happy Thanksgiving!

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