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It's Happening: Spaghetti for Thanksgiving? It's an Indian Dish

By Julie Perine on November 24, 2016 from It’s Happening via Connect-Bridgeport.com

There’s more than turkey and dressing cooking today. Spaghetti and meatballs are also on the stove.
 
Every Thursday during football season members of the Bridgeport High School football team gather together for a spaghetti dinner at the Bridgeport High School cafeteria.
 
Today is no exception.
 
Alicia Swiger and her team of parents are cooking up 15 pounds of pasta and about 150 meatballs which will disappear after players, cheerleaders, coaches and some family members go through the cafeteria line and load their plates. There's salad and dessert too.
 
It’s a tradition that started in the early 1990s and has continued since. Ann Nicewarner, mother of former BHS football player and current Head Coach Josh Nicewarner, knows how and why the tradition started.
 
“Gary Lhotsky’s mom used to cook for a few of the players every Thursday night, but they weren’t formal dinners,” she said.
 
Tommy Brown – class of 1993 - remembers his junior year as the first dinners in the cafeteria.
 
Ann says she has great memories of working with other moms and preparing the dinners for the team which included her boys Jason, Ryan and Josh, who graduated in 1996, 2000 and 2001, respectively.
 
It’s about good food and fellowship among athletes, coaches and their families. And since it’s been associated with winning seasons throughout recent decades, it seems to bring the Tribe good fortunate on the turf. Therefore, there’s never been talk of discontinuing it.
 
My nephew Brett Hathaway, who played for the Indians from 2009 to 2012, remembers having spaghetti lunch on Thanksgiving Day as the Indians prepared for post-season playoff games. If I remember right, he still had plenty of room for turkey and the works later in the day.
 
Tomorrow evening, the No. 1-ranked Indians play Fairmont Senior in the Class AA semifinals. The winning team will be on the road to Wheeling the following week for the state championship showdown. If it’s the Indians – which the community is certainly counting on – you bet your bottom dollar there will be spaghetti next Thursday too.
 
Even before the spaghetti dinners began, there was football game-eve tradition. From 1979 to 1981, Kelly Wilcox John remembers being part of the BHS Pep Club and decorating the homes of football players. In addition to their good luck artwork, the gals took along a cake, cookies or some other baked treat.
 
“It was a lot of fun – sneaking around like they didn’t know we were out there – giggling and decorating,” she said. “And then when we were all done, knocking on the door to give them the treats we brought for them.”
 
Game-associated traditions during that era also included bonfires on occasion. Mary Jaco said the cheerleaders cheered, the BHS Band played and the majorettes twirled fire.
 
Marsha Homitz Bilbrey remembers feeding the fire with scarecrows that resembled the opposing team mascot. Although that wouldn’t fly these days, it was all in good fun, she said.
 
Game-day pep rallies - or thuses as they were often called – date back many years.
 
“There was always a thuse on Fridays and the band and majorettes would perform,” said Brenda McEldowney Swiger. “The cheerleaders would cheer and we really got the team wound up. This was in the ‘60s.”
 
I think many will join me in saying that included in the long list of things for which we are thankful is a spirited, dedicated community.
 
And, of course, spaghetti.
 
History has it that it was invented in China and after he tasted – and liked it - Marco Polo took the idea to Venice and it has since been known as a specialty dish of Italy.
 
But some of us know better: It’s an Indian dish.
 
Editor's Note: Pictures are courtesy of Alicia Swiger and Elizabeth Meade. 
 
Julie Perine can be reached at 304-848-7200, julie@connect-bridgeport.com or follow @JuliePerine on Twitter!
 
More "It's Happening" HERE.


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