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Giving thanks

By Mirror news staff 4 min read

Thanksgiving is a time to go home, talk to each other, eat and enjoy some football, said passersby at Penn State Altoona and a few other locations in the city.

-- Jenn Philips, 52, of Ebensburg said she'll spend Thanksgiving with family, eating the traditional holiday meal of turkey and all the fixings. The holiday, she said, is a time for her family to "just eat and watch football."

-- Oryan Alves, 18, of Brooklyn, N.Y., plans "just to go home." Alves, who said his favorite meal is oxtail with rice, plans to spend the day with his family. "We eat and watch movies" and just relax, he said. Thanksgiving, for him, is "just being around people who care about you."

-- Matthew Bushell, 19, a freshman majoring in electromechanical engineering at Penn State Altoona, said he will drive 13 hours to Missouri to stay with his family in an Airbnb there. Bushell plans to bring his cooking utensils and favors turkey with gravy. His holiday plans include playing board games and going bowling with his family. Thanksgiving allows him and his family to relax and "talk to each other."

-- Brandon Meikle, 18, of Greensburg, said he will spend time with his family in his grandparents' house. Meikle, a freshman in biology at Penn State Altoona, said his favorite food is stuffing, and he looks forward to decorating his house for Christmas over the holiday weekend.

-- Ryan Patroski, 19, of Chester Springs, will visit some friends from the University of Kentucky and the University of South Carolina, then spend Thanksgiving with his family. Patroski, "a really big fan of stuffing," said he likes football games during Thanksgiving and the chance to "reconnect to" his family and friends as he studies out of town. "I definitely want to see them, talk to them and spend a good amount of time with them, and it's really hard right now, just being away, to be able to do that. I don't see them as much as I could," Patroski said. "That's really my main goal over Thanksgiving break."

-- Todd Michael, 56, of Pittsburgh, takes Amtrak back and forth to Altoona to visit with his daughter and plans to celebrate the holiday in Altoona with her. Green bean casserole is his favorite dish, he said, and his family likes playing Cards Against Humanity. "Go eat, sit and play a good game ... and maybe if the crowds are OK, go see a movie," Michael said. "It's a good time."

-- Eric Jordan, 20, of Bedford, said he will go to his grandmother's house for "a regular hangout session" where the main event is dinner. Jordan said he looks forward to playing games and catching up with his cousins. "I've been working hard in school all semester and getting close to the end," Jordan said. "So now I'm just kind of wanting to take it easy ... relax over Thanksgiving."

-- Alora Petrauskas, 20, of Altoona, hopes to see most of her family members over Thanksgiving but admits the holiday isn't the same as when she was a kid. She plans on "just being thankful for everything."

-- Kim Pepper, 53, of Altoona, said she will visit with her daughter and family in Berwick. In the morning, she will attend a 9-mile family road race, then enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pie. That will be followed up with board games. Usually family members also say what they're thankful for. "We like just to give glory back to God for all he gives us," Pepper said.

-- Ashley Earnest, 30, of Bellwood, will celebrate Thanksgiving at her parents' house, where the meal will include favorites like green bean casserole, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Earnest will help cook and set up everything and then later, football and board games rule. "We usually play Monopoly," she said. "We just have the family together ... just be grateful for having one another."

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