It was the first annual Beerman Family Thanksgiving Day Dinner.
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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives to remember a community tradition that lasted for four decades and helped tens of thousands have wonderful Thanksgiving meals.
More on Thanksgiving history
• Move over, Macy’s! The Rike’s Toy Parade was an early Dayton Thanksgiving tradition
• PHOTOS: Thanksgiving Day front pages from the Dayton Daily News archives
• Remembering the massive Thanksgiving Blizzard of 1950
Did you know?
Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• Rod Serling honed his storytelling ability in the Miami Valley
The “Twilight Zone” legend will be honored with a historical marker at the Antioch College campus in Yellow Springs.
• The process to build the Deeds Carillon was almost as impressive as the instrument itself
A 151-foot steel tower was built as an unusual project in 1940, and it fascinated area residents who watched it unfold.
• Allison Janney wanted to be an ice skater before she became an actress
The Dayton native went to the Miami Valley School but had to drop ice skating because of a serious injury before she became famous.
• Phil Donahue started his journalism career in Dayton because he answered an ad in a magazine
That happened in the late 1950s, and he started his TV talk show in the 1960s before he became an internationally influential host.
We want your help!
Do you have any requests or ideas that you would like to see us cover in this history newsletter?
What about cool old photos or stories of your own?
Let us know and we’ll include them in future newsletters.
A reader wrote in to tell us this week that Tuesday was George Rogers Clark Day in the state of Ohio, and they suggested we help readers learn more about the man who is the namesake of Clark County.
And if you like what you’re getting each week in the Vintage Dayton newsletter, please consider subscribing to the Dayton Daily News for as little as 99 cents.
Thank you for reading.
