Thanksgiving Day, today, is a national holiday across most of Canada. The second Monday of October has been an official holiday for many Canadians since 1957. In south eastern Canada it coincides with the peak of the autumn colours, with the leaves on the trees ranging from fiery scarlets to brilliant yellows and rich hues of copper.
Varying traditions have developed in families across the country from travelling to visit relatives, to closing up the cottage or summer home for the winter, or a simple drive in the country to enjoy the beauty and take in the harvest up close.
At Quinn Farm, just west of Montreal, the celebrating won’t begin until this evening, when the owners and employees and their families sit down together for their feast of the traditional dishes of roast turkey and pumpkin pie.
The farm is a commercial and agricultural draw to many Montrealers as it caters to families. At this time of year people can pick their own apples or pumpkins in anticipation of Hallowe’en on October 31st.
Phil Quinn took over the farm from his parents who began the enterprise in 1982. Over the years the city grew off the island of Montreal, onto the next, Ile Perrot, getting closer to the fields and the furrows of the farm. People visit for maple syrup in March, strawberries in June, apples and pumpkins in the fall and Christmas trees in December. There are sleigh rides and hay rides too.
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