WRFA has several special programs on the schedule this week to help our listeners celebrate Thanksgiving. Here’s the rundown.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
10 a.m. – The Splendid Table
11 a.m. – America’s Test Kitchen Radio
Thanksgiving Special: True Stories From The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line
We chat with the turkey experts who man Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line, providing answers to more than 100,000 holiday cooking questions each November and December. We’ll put roasting pans through their paces with gadget guru Lisa McManus, and we’ll taste store-bought shortcuts to find out which ones to avoid and which ones will get Thanksgiving dinner on the table quicker. Wine expert Stephen Meuse investigates whether wine has gender, and then we’ll head into the test kitchen to learn how to make the perfect sweet potato pie. And of course, we’ll be taking your calls to answer all of your cooking questions.
5 p.m. – America’s Test Kitchen Radio
Thanksgiving Special: History of Thanksgiving Day Parades
Before marching bands, character balloons, and reindeer-driven sleighs began parading down 34th street every Thanksgiving Day, there were beggars, cross-dressers and mischief makers. This week we speak with several historians and experts about the raucous Thanksgiving tradition of ragamuffin parades, and how they gave way to the star-studded parade we are accustomed to today. We’ll find out what apple gadgets can make apple pie easier, and we’ll taste wine with expert Stephen Meuse. Then we’ll head into the test kitchen to uncover the secrets to making the best Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy for a Crowd. And of course, we’ll be taking your calls to answer all of your cooking questions.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25
1 p.m. – Peace Talks Radio
Massasoit’s Peace Pact With The Pilgrims
Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy when English settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. He and his people kept the Pilgrims from starving in the early years of their settlement, attended the first Thanksgiving and forged a peace treaty with the English that lasted 40 years until his death. We’ll talk with American Indian scholars Darius Coombs and Bob Charlesbois who’ll fill in the details of this Native American leader’s attempt to make peace for his people and with the new strangers. Also, Native American film director Chris Eyre on his portrayal of Massasoit for the 2009 PBS television series We Shall Remain.
2 p.m. – Backstory
American As Pumpkin Pie – A History of Thanksgiving
When we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, we think we know what we’re commemorating. After all, the story of Pilgrims and Indians breaking bread together is one of the first history lessons many of us had. But if an actual Pilgrim were to attend your Thanksgiving dinner, chances are he’d be stunned, and not a little disgusted, by what transpired there. On this holiday edition of BackStory, the History Guys search for the true roots of Thanksgiving. They discover that the holiday we celebrate today begins not with the Pilgrims, but with the Victorians, who in the midst of the Civil War sought a national holiday honoring home and family. But did Thanksgiving strengthen the Union, as its proponents had hoped? What relation do Indians have to the holiday in reality – and in myth? And what does football have to do with any of it?
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26 – THANKSGIVING DAY
10 a.m. – Giving Thanks: A Celebration of Fall, Food and Gratitude (2 Hours)
With music and stories for Thanksgiving, it’s Giving Thanks. Christopher Kimball, founder, editor, and publisher of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, and host of public television most-watched cooking show, America’s Test Kitchen. He’ll take us to his Vermont farm for a New England Thanksgiving, and talk about the experiences for which he’s most grateful.
Stephen Hough, world famous concert pianist, composer, prize-winning poet, and MacArthur genius. He’ll share his wonderful essay “Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving” which he wrote for the London Telegraph, and we’ll hear an excerpt from his favorite Thanksgiving author Willa Cather, plus his new Grieg album.
Also, Patrick Stewart reads autumn poems from John Keats and Antonio Vivaldi.
1 p.m. – FM Odyssey’s Thanksgiving Specials (3 Hours)
5 p.m. – A Feast For The Ears (2 Hours)
As families come together and give thanks, A Feast for the Ears helps set the atmosphere and provide deeper meaning to the Thanksgiving holiday. A two-hour program, A Feast for the Ears reflects on the rich history and traditions of this well-loved American holiday and highlights music by American composers such as Aaron Copeland, Virgil Thomson, William Billings and Charles Ives, along with some undiscovered treasures by Rick Sowash and Mark O?Connor. Host Mark Perzel presents a melodic and intriguing exploration of Thanksgiving history, lore and roots in early European harvest festivals, as well as a thoughtful examination of the holiday’s evolution and contemporary traditions.
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A Feast For The Ears
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