Family Gathers at the Shore; Feast, Then Gulls Get Theirs

OCEAN CITY – Philadelphian Jack Junod and 31 family members have plans to spend Thanksgiving here at the shore, as they’ve done for the past 30 years. 
There is sure to be lots of chatter and plenty of activity, Tuesday to Sunday, since the gathering includes 19 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Junod wrote the Herald that the tradition began in 1987 when the Junods downsized from a six-bedroom home with its large dining room.
Junod’s wife, Bernice, departed for 17 years, made the suggestion that they rent a large house “at the shore” and combine Thanksgiving with a vacation week for the then-family of nine.
“The idea was a bonanza for our family,” Junod wrote.
Over the decades, the family has rented six to eight-bedroom homes in Avalon, Sea Isle City, and, for the past eight years, Ocean City.
“From the days when there was hardly a lighted home to be found ’til today, when this holiday is celebrated by the thousands, families have found what we found 30 years ago,” he continued.
Their tradition includes Wednesday dinner at the Lobster House followed by an early Thanksgiving morning round of golf, with 12 family golfers, at Avalon Golf Club.
After the turkey and stuffing have worn off, there’s Black Friday shopping and Saturday is “spent shopping and antiquing throughout the area,” Junod wrote.
Instead of simply trashing the turkey’s bones, “second to Thanksgiving dinner, our main event, is our ‘turkey throw’ on Friday morning.
“We take the turkey carcass to the beach. When we arrive, there are no seagulls in sight. After throwing our turkey on the beach, in a matter of five minutes, there are hundreds of birds from Maine to Florida feasting on our turkey. It’s a blast,” Junod continued.
“Our family has been blessed to have found such a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving at our beautiful Jersey Shore,” he concluded.