Every Thanksgiving two radio stations in the Seattle area play this song at noon. Since my relatives don’t pick me up until about 1pm I get to hear this every year, a real holiday tradition. I hear it’s common for stations around the country to do this, but a lot of people I know have never even heard of this song. Is this a tradition for you? Do you listen on the radio, turntable, or iPod? Have you ever heard the alternate versions? And do you remember the movie of the same name? I saw it a few times as a kid on A&E, but I kind of worry the movie would date badly.
Every year, without fail.
I heard it on November 25, but only because it was on an internet radio station I listen to at work.
Our local classic rock station plays it every year at noon on Thanksgiving Day.
There’s a local station that plays it but I forgot about it this year. Dang.
I just played the youtube link…
Is it wierd that I’m 44 and I never heard it.
Honestly - never. I’ve heard OF it, but never heard it.
I couldn’t find it on the radio until half way to my parents house so I only caught about 10 minutes of it. No big deal though, Thanksgiving is my ‘for sure’ day to hear it but I usually catch it once or twice during the rest of the year.
Also, just to brag a bit, I actually saw him perform it about 11 years ago. I was 19 at the time and by far the youngest person at the concert.
Forgetting to tune in at noon was our tradition. The highlight is how close to noon someone remembers to tune in–particularly if it’s still on when someone does mention it.
But Rhapsody has put that all in the past now. Not quite the same.
I always do. Sometimes I even play it myself on the guitar. Just the melody though, I don’t tell the story.
When I worked in radio some years ago I was surprised to find that my station didn’t know of the tradition of playing Alice’s Restaurant on Thanksgiving. I got permission to do so, but had to bring the CD with me from home since it wasn’t in the computer. That was the only time I ever actually played a CD - even then, and this was the early to mid 90’s - everything was on computer.
KGON Portland played it at 1pm and 7pm Thanksgiving day.
Ditto—ever since elementary school. A few years ago I also had the privilege of seeing Guthrie perform the song in a small community college auditorium. I was about 30 feet from Guthrie and about 3 feet above the level of the stage. Best show I’ve ever seen, or at least the most fondly remembered.
Color me clueless – I’ve heard the song many times, but did not know that it was a tradition for anyone to listen to it on Thanksgiving. And, yes, I know Guthrie’s monologue recounts an event on a Thanksgiving day.
I grew up in a hippie/folkie family.
When I was a kid, we would have these awesome multiday Thanksgivings. Friends of ours who played acustic gutair would always play Alice’s Restrurant. We still listen to it…My family loves Arlo. I actually got to hear him perform at a folk fest I attend regularly!
Oh man, I grew up with my dad playing that on the guitar. I don’t recall any Thanksgiving tradition about it, though, and that could have totally happened, as he and his siblings regularly jammed together. Probably my gramma said ‘Knock off that noise, this is a family day!’
I need to call him and play it over the phone at him tomorrow. 
I heard it in the car the day before T-Day. It wasn’t over when I got to the store, so I sat in the parking lot and listened to the last half of it there 
It’s one of the bright spots for me in this stupid ‘holiday season’.
I’ve never heard it before in my life.
A couple of friends were talking about it being a family tradition and I had no clue what they were talking about.
Maybe it’s because I’m Canadian.
We listened on the way to our friend’s house for dinner (half hour drive!). Then when we got to their house and walked in it was playing there too!
I only saw the movie once, about 10 or 15 years ago. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again someday, but it’s definitely not anywhere high on my priority list.
Missed it this year. 
Alice’s Restaurant was a great song back in the 1960’s. Nobody liked it more than me, esp when I spent a lot of time in Massachusetts/Stockbridge back in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, or whenever I was at VietNam rallies.
It also was a great movie back then, in many ways.
However, long hair being commonplace came and went, the War and the Draft ended, Officer Obie has long since retired, the kids who went to Woodstock are now old gray haired diapered geezers living in nursing homes, therefore, both the song, and the movie, are now VERY!!! dated, they are now virtually meaningless, and no longer entertaining in today’s world.
I recently played it for some young people hearing it for the first time, and they all loved it.