IN THE PIPELINE:

This week, given that the paper’s issue is published on Thanksgiving, I thought I’d include some of the things I (and my family) am most thankful for here in Huntington Beach.

Before that, however, this historian/trivia nut wanted to share a few related nuggets — Minnesota raised about 46 million turkeys this year, making it tops in national turkey production. It is followed by North Carolina (39 million), Arkansas (31 million), Virginia (21.5 million), Missouri (21 million) and California (16.8 million).

These six states together will probably account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2007. North Carolina produced 702 million pounds of sweet potatoes, more than any other state, followed by California at 381 million pounds. Of the billion pounds of pumpkin produced this year, Illinois led with 492 million pounds, while California, Ohio and Pennsylvania each produced at least 100 million pounds. Notice how well our state is contributing?

For the record, there are three places named “Turkey” in the United States — in Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina. Eight places are named “Cranberry” (or some spelling variation of the word) and 28 towns are named “Plymouth.”

More Thanksgiving trivia: Though the precise date of the “first” Thanksgiving is not known, we’re taught it supposedly happened between Sept. 21 and Nov. 9 1621, right? As the story goes, the Plymouth Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians for the first Thanksgiving, and the event lasted for three days. Edward Winslow, a participant at the event, said the meal consisted of corn, barley and fowl, including wild turkeys and waterfowl and venison. About 50 Pilgrims attended the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621 along with about 90 Native Americans. But was it truly the first?

At the beautiful Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Va., they beg to differ. Yes, this plantation holds a boatload of American history. It is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and of his son, President William Henry Harrison. As well, the haunting military bugle call “Taps” was composed at Berkeley when General McClellan headquartered 140,000 Union troops in 1862. (Union General Daniel Butterfield adapted the music for “Taps,” and it was played for the first time here in July of that year by bugler Oliver W. Norton.)

But at Berkeley Plantation, one year and 17 days prior to the landing of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts, the English colonists held a Thanksgiving celebration here. It happened Dec. 4, 1619, when the 38 men from Berkeley Parish in England were given the instructions: “Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.” This saying is now carved on a brick gazebo, where it is believed Capt. John Woodlief knelt down beside the James River.

The Continental Congress declared the first national celebration of Thanksgiving in 1777, but it was not yet an annual event. In 1863, two national days of Thanksgiving were declared: One celebrated the Union victory at Gettysburg; the other one is what we now consider to be the official United States celebration. And so there you have it.

Now, the things we’re most thankful for in Huntington Beach, because in our opinion they help make the city a better place:

The shrimp tacos at The Secret Spot, Dog Beach, the plaque honoring Lloyd Wright at the corner of Springdale Street and Warner Avenue, Central Library along with the Banning, Main Street, Helen Murphy and Oak View branches, teacher Jay DuVal at Mesa View Middle School, KOCE, the Bookman II book store, Huntington Beach police and firefighters, St. Bonaventure, the pier, the wetlands, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Emporium on Main Street, California Greetings, Barnes and Noble, Central Park, the tennis courts at Heil Avenue and Saybrook Lane, Old World Village, Alice’s Breakfast in the Park, the Park Bench Café, the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, the folks I met while writing the article on the emergency room at Huntington Beach Hospital, this newspaper and you the reader.

Happy Thanksgiving and all God’s blessings to you, your family and friends this holiday.

Come say hello! Chris Epting will sign all of his books (including “Images of America — Huntington Beach”) at Barnes & Noble at Bella Terra at 7 p.m. Dec. 6. Get someone a signed book this holiday and perhaps even suggest a Pipeline column idea.

What are you thankful for in Huntington Beach? Post it In The Pipeline, www.hbindependent.com/ columns.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of nine books including his latest, “Led Zeppelin Crashed Here, The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America.” He also hosts “The Pop Culture Road Trip” radio show on webtalkradio.net.