‘Good grace. Let the celebration begin with feasting, dancing and song. Enjoy the feast.”

So spoke Governor William Bradford, leader of the separatist settlers of the Plymouth Colony, as Thanksgiving Point's First Feast, a reenactment of the first Thanksgiving of 1621, got underway Saturday evening.

With period music playing, more than 200 people sat on split-wood benches and supped on pewter plates, drinking from pewter mugs. The menu featured roasted pork and turkey and smoked salmon; corn pudding; stewed pumpkins; a mix of stewed cabbage, leeks and onions; cheate bread and slab butter; apple cider and mixed berry cobbler.

The reenactment was the second of three put on annually by Thanksgiving Point, with the last feast happening on Monday. Beyond the feast, parents and grandparents took pictures of children with petting zoo animals including a calf and a tiny lamb. There were also various period games for children to try with the help of costumed volunteers.

"A day of public thanksgiving for the commonwealth of Thanksgiving Point," read Saturday's menu. "We exhort the people of our fair community to gather side by side and share in this harvest rich with the bounties of land and sea and to witness firsthand 17th century lifestyle and the skill of many a handicraft and diversions."

The character of Governor Bradford was one of a handful of historic figures played by actors who, speaking in character, introduced the history of Thanksgiving to the guests in the minutes before a prayer opened the meal.

"I am Squanto, I am the last of my people," said the actor playing the American Indian of the Patuxet tribe, who explained the role of native people in the colony and the historic feast.

Bradford told of leaving England for America, stopping for a time among the Dutch.

"We found the way of the Dutch ungodly, not to our liking," Bradford's character said. A year after landing in Plymouth, half the pilgrims were dead, including Bradford's own wife. Only four adult women remained.

As guests ate, the characters took questions from the audience.

"What did you do if you had a toothache?" asked one woman.

Remove it before the mouth became infected, was the answer. Another audience member asked about bathing, to which one of the historic characters replied that immersing the body in water was considered unhealthy and therefore not to be done. Some in the audience cheered jovially.

Adam and Dianna Diehl of Midvale came in full costume.

"I really appreciate how they have kept true to the history of the food instead of modernizing it," she said. "This is an opportunity to experience some history with all of your senses instead of just reading about it."

"This is a great way to experience history," he said. "It gives you a different understanding of it."

Eel, venison, duck and warm goat's milk were served as "unusual items for sampling."

"We had some of the goat's milk," she said. "It was very sweet and delicious." Later in the event, some of the braver children were invited to Governor Bradford's table to try the eel, which they ate with contorted faces. One small girl did not hold her eel down.

Matthew and Anita Wells of Sandy brought their four children, ages 4 to 11, to the event. It was the fourth year the family had participated, and they all dressed in period costume.

The family has three ancestors from the Plymouth Colony, they said.

"We have kind of made a big deal of our pilgrim heritage to the children," Anita Wells said. "Our kids like this more than the real Thanksgiving dinner. I think it is fun to get dressed up and experience the authentic thing. They don't care so much for another big family dinner."

Although everyone interviewed agreed the food was excellent, some did notice some differences from modern eating.

"It's kind of tricky to eat salad with a spoon," said Barbara Breen of Salt Lake City, who attended the dinner with a friend, Barbara Seitz. "It's an adventure."

Thanksgiving Point's last First Feast of the year will be held Monday night. Some tickets were still available on Saturday. Tickets are $36 for adults and $22 for children. For information, call 768-4900.