Last-munute Thanksgiving travelers make the trek on what is typically a good day for air travel. pic.twitter.com/xmlRiwpTQR
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) November 24, 2016
No, it's not carry-on. Surfing on Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/q5RIdT86LC
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) November 24, 2016
Early morning Thanksgiving Day travelers at Dulles. pic.twitter.com/YiKjGh8K7w
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) November 24, 2016
WASHINGTON — Feasts are being consumed around the D.C. area and frenzied travelers are making their way through the region with few traffic delays on this Thanksgiving evening.
Here are snapshots of how the D.C. region celebrated this Thanksgiving Day.
Traffic jams in the afternoon vanish in the evening
After complicated travel for some Thursday afternoon, traffic has eased up through the evening.
A fatal crash has caused MD-355 to be blocked in Clarkburg, Maryland, but all lanes reopened around 5 p.m. Earlier back ups on Interstate 295 have now eased and traffic is flowing again.
“Volume is ultra light on the area roadways,” WTOP traffic reporter Dave Dildine said around 5:30 p.m.
As of 7:10 p.m., a crash on the Beltway’s Inner Loop in College Park is causing some delays.
Listen to the latest traffic report on WTOP’s traffic page.
Turkey Bowl: Fourth win for Woodson
On a holiday afternoon, the stands were alive at Eastern Senior High School in Northeast D.C. as H.D. Woodson High School battled Woodrow Wilson High School in the 47th annual Turkey Bowl.
“This event is a huge part of the culture of the District of Columbia, there is no way you can’t do anything but have every Thanksgiving at the Turkey Bowl” said Former D.C. Mayor and Ward 7 Councilmember-elect Vincent Gray.
The event isn’t only about the football game, for many it’s a place for current and past D.C. schools students to come together.
“We get a chance to not only support the kids out here, but we see a lot of people that we went to school with, a lot of different eras are out here,” said Donyal Holland.
In the fourth quarter, the game was close after a Wilson touchdown, which left Woodson with only a two point lead.
“I was just thinking, hold the ball, hold the ball, hold on, hold on, hold on, and the young men did that for us,” Woodson’s coach Greg Fuller said about the final minutes of the game.
In the end Woodson was able to hold on to its lead, giving the team its fourth Turkey Bowl win in a row.
“It feels good to be MVP, this is everything to me,” said Woodson quarterback Tyron Robinson, a junior at the school.
Woodson now heads to the D.C. State Athletic Association Class AA championship game.
Meat versus vegan
Some families struggle with the meat versus vegan thing at Thanksgiving, but the Takoma Park Silver Spring Cooperative has options for the omnivores, carnivores and vegans.
TPSS Co-op General Manager Abdi Guled said the members decided long ago to have variety in its offerings.
“We have both a Thanksgiving turkey and tofurky,” he said, referencing the “delicious” vegetarian turkey replacement made from a blend of wheat protein and organic tofu.
At Guled’s table this Thanksgiving, there will be a turkey – along with plenty of vegetables, he said.
2,200 pies for friends
Hundreds of volunteers arrived to Food and Friends in Northeast D.C. early on Thanksgiving. The volunteers helped prepare and then deliver about 3,500 Thanksgiving dinners to people around the region who are fighting illnesses like cancer and HIV.
Food and Friends executive director Craig Schniderman calls it “the most spectacular meal that you’ve ever seen,” before rattling off just how much food is being prepared and delivered.
“Nine-thousand pounds of turkey, 4,000 pounds of vegetables, 1,500 rolls, 94 gallons of gravy, 64 pounds of cranberry sauce and 2,200 freshly baked pies.”
Among those working Thursday morning was Penny Smith of Beltsville, who stood between her two sons at one of the stainless steel tables packing bags.
“This is a good time for us to come out and volunteer and give back to people who need food and everything,” said Smith, who hopes her annual visit leaves an impression on her kids.
“Just to know that we are blessed, we are able to come out and help people. And it gives my son a chance to get out here and learn that there are people in need, that need some things. So it’s a great learning lesson just to give back, and good gratification in knowing that we can.”
Quiet start to holiday at Dulles International
Many Thanksgiving travelers are already where they plan to celebrate, but a good number still have a long trip ahead.
Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a good day to fly, and that was the case for passengers arriving at Dulles International Airport before dawn Thursday morning.
Passengers moved through ticketing and security lines easily.
“I’m hoping everyone flew yesterday and we can kind of breeze through,” said a passenger heading to Minneapolis.
Heading to Atlanta to see his family for the first time in two years, one passenger was looking forward to catching up, watching football and getting out of chilly D.C.
As a man and his companion boarded a flight to Mexico to attend a friend’s wedding, he expected to “be eating some good food, with some good friends. But I don’t think we’ll be having the typical turkey dinner.”
Some families with young children began their trips Thursday morning, but most had probably flown earlier.
One man, bound for Las Vegas, was asked if he was headed to the party town for a traditional Thanksgiving celebration: “Well, it is Thanksgiving.”
Asked if he’d take time away from the casino tables for a traditional meal, he said “That depends how long the line is at the buffet.”
WTOP’s Sarah Beth Hensley, Kate Ryan, Mike Murillo, Hanna Choi, John Domen and Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
