- It's so beautiful out here.

I love autumn, and Thanksgiving's just around the corner.

- Speaking of Thanksgiving.

- Mm-hmm?

- What's your favorite Thanksgiving song?

- Are there any Thanksgiving songs?

- Oh, coming up, we've got plenty, plus a cornucopia of great stories.

- "You Gotta See This!"

(upbeat music) You know, I know a lot of Christmas carols, but I'm pretty sure I don't know any Thanksgiving songs.

- We've got a countdown of songs about being thankful, and that's gonna be with "8-Track Time Machine" in a little bit.

- Well, before we do that, we're gonna go visit some kids, actually they're high school students, at Richwoods, that do some great things for their peers.

Thankfulness comes in many forms.

For this group of students at Richwood High School, it is volunteering to help make sure their peers are fed and have the basic necessities.

These juniors and seniors are stocking the shelves to make sure that others are not suffering.

Shelley Craycraft, the faculty advisor, tells us how vital these essentials can be to many students.

- One student that was in charge of basically all the younger siblings, and family had been displaced because of a marriage issue, so it was a very fast move.

Basically nothing able to be taken, or what was was packed in a car.

You have a parent that's working two jobs, possibly three jobs.

This student was working a full-time job, hauling siblings, things like that.

And what do you do?

They had basically no Christmas, no food, no toiletries.

I mean, we don't think about how luxurious it is to have toilet paper at home.

- [Julie] That's where the Round Table Project comes in.

Since 2017, Richwoods has been spearheading this food and essentials pantry that is free of charge to any Peoria public high school student in need.

Round Table club members are working hard to break the stigma of the embarrassment of reaching out for help.

- I would suggest just coming in and getting whatever you needed.

Honestly, there's nothing scary about it.

Nobody knows if you come in.

It's all anonymous, so, nothing to be afraid about, honestly.

- It's pretty anonymous.

We don't hang out in this room during school hours.

We're only in here when we need to sort the stuff.

And Ms. Craycraft's not gonna judge.

She's very nice.

If you come in and ask her and be like, "Hey, I need some deodorant," she'll, "Oh yeah, come on in and grab what you need."

- [Julie] It's not glamorous work.

These teens are creating newsletters to source necessities and sorting boxes, all to help their fellow students and hundreds of local families.

But the true reward is helping others.

- I enjoy being involved in service-based activities and other clubs that are volunteer-based, and I think it's really important to give back to the community, and it's really special to me that it's something that's bigger than just us or our school, but something that's had a positive impact on students and families all across the district.

- [Julie] They hold food drives, send mailers, and work with local donors and businesses to keep items in stock for the student population.

But you might be surprised by the most popular item in the food and necessities pantry.

- [Shelley] The hottest item is deodorant.

It's definitely not a necessity item, so to speak.

When it comes down to either eating or making sure you have deodorant, you're definitely gonna make sure that you're eating first.

- [Neil] Two good ways to donate, first of all, money, and second off being items.

And the items is very helpful to just keep this wall stocked so that the people in need, they come and grab something, there's always enough for them to grab.

And money is nice because we can buy specifically what exactly we need.

Like I said, deodorant runs out a lot, and so just being able to pick out what we need is also very helpful.

- [Julie] If you'd like to help the Richwoods Round Table Project, some of their most needed items include deodorant, socks, and underwear new in the package, microwavable snack items, fruit and granola snack bars, hats and gloves, and grab-and-go meals.

For more information, visit their website, peoriapublicschools.org/roundta.

- You know, Thanksgiving isn't the only holiday this month.

We also have Veterans Day coming up.

- Right.

- So we have a remarkable story about two brothers from Central Illinois who signed up for the Civil War, joined the Union Army at ages 10 and 12- - Oh my gosh.

- And they marched off to battle.

Unbelievable.

- Wow.

But before we get to that story, we're gonna talk to someone at the Dream Center.

It's a social service agency in Downtown Peoria, but the head chef there, she has turned her life around, and she uses her kitchen to help others do the same.

You gotta see it.

(soft music) - [Phil] Every Thanksgiving, Lorraine Washington is grateful for never giving up during dark times.

Homeless as a teen, shot in the face, left for dead.

No job, no diploma, no home.

- I only can say, when I was homeless, I felt like I was at the bottom.

- [Phil] Eventually, Lorraine turned things around, leaning on divine help to get an education and career.

Now the 50-year-old works as head chef at Dream Center Peoria, the faith-based social service agency.

There, she is thankful for the chance to serve more than just meals.

- I came here to cook, but I do other stuff.

I minister to the ladies, I take them to church.

I just like people.

I like to encourage people.

Every day it's my goal to make somebody smile.

- [Phil] Smiles came hard as a teen.

In the November of her 17th year, a domestic situation exploded violently.

- I was shot in the face in 1989, and they didn't think I was gonna make it.

- [Phil] Even after recovery, troubles continued.

Over the next two decades, Lorraine lived on the streets off and on.

Bad choices made for bad consequences.

- I've been homeless, and I'm out of there.

I own my own home.

But I had to clean something up within myself first.

I had to do better with myself, and then things fall into place, 'cause what I've learned is, over years, that sometimes we're our own worst enemy and we cause ourselves to get in positions that we're in.

- [Phil] At rock bottom, Lorraine looked up and found a new priority.

- I kinda speak a lot about God.

He first, everybody else second.

- [Phil] Her faith formed a foundation for a new and solid path.

- I got my act together.

I went back to school, I got my GED, I went to college.

- [Phil] She studied cooking, embarking on a new career as a chef.

Last November, she brought those skills to Dream Center Peoria, the not for profit that aims to lift people out of poverty.

Dream Center runs a homeless shelter and housing services, along with programs teaching job and life skills.

Case workers help newcomers, but some of the best encouragement comes from Washington.

- I've been in a homeless position, so I know what it's like not to have my own.

So I basically kinda give them hope that, you know, just stay focused, you can get a job.

My main thing is, God can do anything.

- [Phil] But she doesn't sugarcoat the process.

- I mean, we have to work for it.

It's not gonna be handed to you, that's for sure.

Nobody's gonna give you anything, you definitely have to work for it.

- [Phil] "Washington's encouragement is infectious," says Andy King, the executive director of Dream Center.

- The great thing about Lorraine is, even if it's a bad day, she can lift the spirits throughout the Dream Center, and in the kitchen.

- [Phil] He keenly appreciates the difference-making contributions by Washington.

- We've always said at the Dream Center that we don't want it to be a job, we want it to be a calling, that they feel like they're called to do this.

And Lorraine is one of those individuals.

She lives and breathes to help people.

- [Phil] This Thanksgiving means a lot to Washington.

She appreciates her year-long stint as Dream Center's chef and motivator, and she also is grateful to graduate this month with an online bachelor's degree in culinary arts instruction.

Meantime, she'll be busy working on the big Thanksgiving meal at Dream Center.

This year's celebration allowed Lorraine, who has five adult children and 27 grandchildren, a new viewpoint.

- Well, I think that last year kinda changed my outlook on Thanksgiving.

Basically, before I started working here, Thanksgiving was all about my family, what I'm gonna cook for my family, and how me and my family are gonna get together and celebrate the holidays, but last year I got to do it differently.

I got to spend time with other people that I didn't know.

- [Phil] She cooked 13 turkeys, 15 hams, and 10 pans of side dishes, enough for more than 200 people.

- And for me to cook all of that food and then the love and appreciation, just the smile on their faces made a difference.

- [Phil] She is looking forward to the same experience this year, especially because Lorraine has invited family to join the Dream Center gathering.

Preparing that bounty, she remains mindful of the hardships of yesteryear, especially the violence from 33 Novembers ago.

- So every year, I celebrate because I'm not supposed to be here.

So God gave me grace and mercy and favor to be here, so that's what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for my life.

(rhythmic drumming) - [Julie] In the 1860s, during the Civil War, drums were crucial for communicating among soldiers.

Not only were these drummers there to help the soldiers keep their cadence during long marches, they kept up morale, and provided communication during fighting for the troops.

But who would be brave enough to risk their safety to be a drummer in the Civil War?

Who would answer the call to inspire patriotism through their drumbeats?

Turns out, the answer is 10-year-old Lyston Howe and 12-year-old Orion Howe of Waukegan, Illinois.

They were ready for the adventure of their young lives.

Their father, William Howe, had been a musician in the Mexican War, and was called upon to gather a new band for the 55th Illinois Regiment.

William had taught both his sons to play the drums and thought it would be an exciting journey for his son Lyston, just 10 years old.

According to David Reed of the Streatorland Historical Society, 12-year-old Orion didn't want to be left behind once he head his father and brother had enlisted.

- That night, he didn't wanna miss an opportunity, so that night, he crawled out his bedroom window, and somehow, this 12-year-old made his way all the way to Tennessee, found the regiment, and enlisted with the regiment.

- [Julie] Their family reunion was short-lived, as their father William had contracted yellow fever and was sent home.

Now these boys, aged 10 and 12, were enlisted for three more years all on their own.

- It was rough.

But because they were so young, and they weren't the only ones, there was a lot of 12, 14, 16-year-old kids in bands then.

Course, Lyston was the youngest.

And turns out, when the war was over, the War Department declared he was the youngest person to serve all four years of the war.

- [Julie] Lyston wasn't the only soldier to get awards and accolades.

The 1863 Battle of Vicksburg would be an important day for Orion on the battlefield.

- [David] The 55th Illinois got pinned down, and they were running out of ammunition.

Of course, the band members, the drummer boys, they're supposed to stay a half mile behind, but they're seeing the casualties coming back.

It was May 19th, 1863.

And they're seeing all these wounded people being brought back behind the lines, and they're starting to talk.

They're saying they were pinned down up there and they're out of ammunition.

They can't fight their way back out.

Orion Howe, the older one, and two other of the drummer boys, they were 16, 18 years old, they were older than those two, just dropped their drums and they went running up to the supply wagon to get ammunition to take up to the frontline.

They couldn't find it.

(rhythmic drumming) They went up to the frontline at Vicksburg, and they started going through the ammunition pouches of all the killed and wounded soldiers.

And they're crawling on their bellies up to the line to give the soldiers some ammunition to work with.

The colonel, Colonel Malmorg was his name, he sees them, he says, "Get the heck out of here.

Go find General Sherman and tell him we need ammunition.

Don't you guys be doing this yourself."

So the three of them got up and they started running to the back.

Within seconds, two of the three got killed.

(rhythmic drumming) - [Julie] Now Orion is alone and shot through the back of the left thigh.

The bullet has gone clean through, and he begins to crawl his way to General Sherman to get more ammunition for his regiment.

(rhythmic drumming continues) - [David] That was the end of the war for him.

He couldn't serve anymore.

But when the battle was over, Sherman was so impressed with this young kid and keeping his wits about him to remember not only that they needed ammunition, but they needed that specific caliber, that he wrote a letter to Lincoln and told Lincoln, "Can you do something for this kid?

He's gonna be sent home now."

Lincoln found him a job in the Coast Guard.

So he was on a ship the rest of the war, the last two years.

- [Julie] For Orion's bravery that day, he was awarded as the youngest American to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor at the age of just 14.

After the war, both brothers made their way back to Illinois as decorated soldiers, but they still had most of their lives to live.

Throughout the years, they worked for the railroad, in coal mines, and as business proprietors in Streator, Illinois.

They always had their share of fame through the books, poems, and tales told 'round the campfire about the youngest Civil War heroes, the Howe brothers.

(upbeat music) - Gobble gobble, and welcome to autumnal and festive Worth Township, Illinois for another episode of "8-Track Time Machine".

It's a very special episode dedicated to Thanksgiving.

I don't know what your favorite holiday is.

Mine's Thanksgiving.

A lot of people like Christmas.

I like Thanksgiving in part just because a lot of holidays, you have the holiday, it's done.

Thanksgiving, it's just the tip of the seasonal iceberg 'cause there's Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, all that stuff.

It's a great holiday.

The thing is, unlike Christmas, Christmas has got all those Christmas carols, right?

Song after song after song after song.

And just like there are very few Thanksgiving movies, there are almost no Thanksgiving songs.

So that's why this is a special episode of "8-Track Time Machine".

We're gonna go through some of the thankful songs, the best thankful songs of the 8-track era.

So, let's start the countdown!

(exciting music) - In 1969, Sly Stone came up with this song because he wondered, "Does anyone get what I'm trying to do with all my tunes?"

Racial harmony, peace, love.

He felt that folks just weren't getting it, so he did this song, "Thank You", and he tried to use a lot of the lyrics from his other songs under there so it's kinda like, do you get it?

Do you get it?

Do you get it?

Songs like "Everyday People", "Sing a Simple Song", and others are repeated within this tune.

♪ We begin to wrestle ♪ Ooh ♪ I was on the top ♪ I want to thank you ♪ For letting me be myself again ♪ - And what about the odd second part of the title?

The parenthetical part of the title, "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf".

You look at that, "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself".

Why did Sly do that?

'Cause Sly is sly.

(exciting music) Number four, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", John Denver.

At the end of 1973, actually on December 31, 1973, John Denver's birthday, his mandolin player wrote this song.

And John Denver said, "I'm gonna put this on my next album, 'Back Home Again'."

And that was in 1974.

The thing is, "Annie's Song" kind of obliterated everything that was on the album, so no one really heard "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", but the next year in '75, "An Evening With John Denver", a live album, they plucked this off and re-released it as a single.

It went to number one not just on the country charts but on the Billboard charts.

♪ Well, life on the farm kinda laid back ♪ ♪ Ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack ♪ ♪ Early to rise, early in the sack ♪ ♪ Thank God I'm a country boy ♪ Well, a simple kinda life never did no harm ♪ ♪ Raisin' me a family and workin' on the farm ♪ ♪ Days are all filled with an easy country charm ♪ ♪ Thank God I'm a country boy - And it just was a total smash, so big, so huge, it catapulted John Denver.

First he had a variety show, and then he was hanging out with the Muppets, and then he did the "Oh, God!"

movies, and he just became a superstar, almost like you'd call him a national treasure.

So "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", well, John Denver thanks God that he did that song, twice.

(exciting music) Number three, "I Thank You", ZZ Top.

In '79, ZZ Top put this song on their album, "Deguello", and it got some good traction.

It was, I think, number 34.

And for them that was a big deal 'cause they had had only one charting song before then.

And today, it's still a staple of classic rock radio.

Got that great guitar, the simple lyrics, and it's always a good song to hear when it comes on the radio.

The thing I wanna mention, though, about this, this song was written more than 10 years earlier and co-authored by Isaac Hayes.

I'm sure you know who he is.

And was recorded by the R&B duo Sam & Dave.

And I tell you, the intro this tune when Sam & Dave does it, it's one of the best intros, the funkiest intros ever in recorded music.

Take a listen.

(upbeat funk music) - [Singer] I want everybody to get up off your seat and get your arms together and your hands together and give me some of that ♪ Old soul clapping ♪ You didn't have to love me like you did ♪ ♪ But you did, but you did ♪ And I thank you ♪ You didn't have - Man, I love that.

Funky, soulful.

"I Thank You", Sam & Dave.

(exciting music) Number two, "Danke Schoen", Wayne Newton.

Okay, so this might sound like a crazy choice, but give me a second.

One, if you've ever seen Wayne Newton, he's a fun guy to see in concert.

I went all the way one time to see him, all the way to East Peoria.

It was great.

And this might sound like a goofy choice, especially for the 8-track era.

It was right at the start of the 8-track era in '63 when Wayne Newton was 21.

A real youngster, right?

It's an older song, and he did it, it's his signature tune, right?

But for another reason I picked it, it's also part of perhaps one of the funniest movies of our time, and for my taste, the funniest part of that movie.

Check it out right here.

♪ Danke Schoen (shouting) - Ferris!

Get off of the float!

- What are you doing?

- Get off the float!

♪ Thank you for (indistinct shouting) ♪ All the joy and pain ♪ Picture shows ♪ Second balcony ♪ Was the place we'd meet ♪ Second seat ♪ Go Dutch treat ♪ You were sweet - To you, Wayne Newton and Ferris Beuller, "Danke Schoen".

(exciting music) Number one, "Thank You For Being a Friend", Andrew Gold.

So Andrew Gold in the '70s, he made a big name for himself as a session player, especially with Linda Ronstadt, and later he became a producer, a really big producer, he had a great career.

In '77, he finally had a hit with "Lonely Boy", and in '78, he came out with this song, which had some modest success.

Now, you might be wondering, okay, I've heard this song.

Where have I heard it before?

Well, you might remember it from this TV show.

♪ Thank you for being a friend - That was a redo by Cynthia Fee.

You don't know her name, she was a jingle singer, but it became one of the biggest theme songs of all time.

It might sound cheesy, it might sound silly, but thank you for being a friend of "You Gotta See This!"

and hanging out with us every week.

So until next time, have a great Thanksgiving, and we'll see you on "8-Track Time Machine".

(mellow jazz music) - We've been talking about a lot of things that we're thankful for, that other people are thankful for, but you know, maybe we should talk to someone else.

- You know, it's always great to hear what kids think 'cause they've got that fresh perspective, they're still wondrous about everything.

And what do they think about Thanksgiving?

What are they thankful for?

Let's take a look.

- Probably my friends and family.

- The moon.

- The moon?

Why are you thankful for the moon?

- Because it helps me sleep in the night.

- I'm thankful for what class I'm in and for my family.

- I'm thankful for food.

- You're thankful for food?

Why?

- 'Cause I like to eat.

- My teacher.

- You like your teacher?

She's over there, that's why you're saying that?

(laughing) - I'm thankful for my friends because they play with me every day.

- My dad.

- Your dad?

Why are you thankful for him?

- Because he's helping us every day.

- [Interviewer] That's nice.

And what about you, Ashley?

- I'm thankful for my teacher because I'm growing up.

- I'm thankful for my Christmas tree coming.

(Interviewer gasps) - We watch football, then eat dinner, then we all go outside, and I guess we rake leaves into leaf piles and jump in them.

- I usually just stay at my house and have my whole family come over.

- Mostly I go to a party.

- You go to a party?

What kind of party?

- With all my (indistinct).

- I play with my cousin, and we play tackle football.

- We watch TV and have dinner.

- I like to go to my cousin's house for Thanksgiving.

- We go to our grandma's house and have a feast.

- Cheese.

- Macaroni.

- Pizza.

- Pizza?

And what's your favorite?

- Carrots.

- Chicken nuggets, french fries.

- Grapes.

- Grapes.

- You would have to make a sound and then come behind it and catch it with a net.

- [Interviewer] Oh, so you'd make what sound?

(imitates turkey gobbling) (laughs) - You know what I'm thankful for?

- What?

- It's almost time for turkey!

And the mashed potatoes, and the stuffing, and the chicklets, and the mashed potatoes, more of them.

- But I am thankful that you joined us, and I'm thankful he's almost done.

- And a cranberry tube thing.

- We'll see you next time.

- And all the stuffing.

(mellow jazz music)