Five Things to Know on Nov. 22: Football and Casinos

Today is Thanksgiving Day; Thursday, Nov. 22. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham:

1. Perfect: Some perfect weather is in store for Thanksgiving Day 2012, with the forecast calling for sunny skies, light winds and temperatures close to 50 degrees.

2. Football: The Generals meet their traditional Thanksgiving Day rival, Ipswich High School, at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School.

3. Turkey Trots: Thanksgiving Day has become a very popular day for road races, and the North Shore is no exception. There’s the Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run in Salem, the 5K Turkey Trot at Ipswich River Park in North Reading and the Maudslay Turkey Trot 5K at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. And on Friday, the one big race in the region is Gabe’s Run at Patton Park in Hamilton, in memory of star runner Gabe Pacione.

4. Closed: Thanksgiving Day is one of the few days each year that most stores and businesses are closed. If there is somewhere that you need to go, use our Directory pages and call ahead. Some restaurants are serving Thanksgiving dinner in nearby communities, and a few bars in neighboring Essex and Danvers are open on Thanksgiving night to watch the Patriots game. Here in the two towns, there’s a handful of gas station and convenience stores are open.

5. Gambling: It was exactly a year ago on Thursday – Nov. 22, 2011 – that Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law an expanded gambling law, allowing for the permitting of one slot parlor and one resort style casino in each of three designated regions in the state.

To find out what is going on today in Hamilton and Wenham, check out our events listings.