If Benjamin Franklin had had his way, the turkey might have been the national bird, and we might have been left dining on eagle the fourth Thursday of each November.

In 1621, indigenous Wampanoag people and English colonists known as Pilgrims shared a harvest feast in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. that consisted of wild turkey, duck, geese, fish, corn, green vegetables, and dried fruits.

In 1941, Congress formalized annual observance of the Thanksgiving holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.

In honor of this year’s Thanksgiving, preschoolers under the direction of Bethany Carlson at Centre Schools produced these watercolor drawings to decorate this week’s front page.

 Four full pages of holiday coverage begin on Page 6