September 2 – National Tailgating Day in the U.S.

(First Saturday in September)

Posted on September 2, 2017

When I think of "fall colors," I think of the brilliant yellows, the infinite shades of gold-to-orange, the deep reds and even purplish blacks of autumn leaves - first on the trees, then spinning and twirling in the air as they fall, and then in heaps and drifts on the ground.

But even in northern Maine, this is too early in September for the leaves to be changing color. We have to wait until mid-September to late October for that!

A lot of Americans think "football" when someone says "fall" - and so fall colors could well be the colors of their favorite team. And a lot of football seasons - from pros to high school and from college to Pop Warner - are starting this week or are already in full swing!

Which brings us to today's holiday. Tailgating is hosting a casual party of sorts from the back of your car or truck, usually in the parking lot of a sports stadium. This can happen before or after the football game - hopefully folks are watching the game DURING the game! - and it can include anything from chilled watermelon and icy cans of soda to freshly grilled hamburgers and barbecued ribs.

It can also include games. What kinds of games can you play in a tailgating party? Cornhole and frisbee come to mind - hey, no hurling metal horseshoes around people's cars! - but it all depends on whether there is a safe space for such play. I guess, if there are lawns available, it could be any of the lawn games, from croquet to ladder golf, from KanJam to giant Jenga.

Tailgating started in the United States. I mean, of course it did - it involves cars, and the U.S. is so-so-so into cars! It may have started at football games, but it has spread to other sporting events and sometimes even concerts. 

Also on this date:

Birthday of voice actor Len Carlson 

Birthday of the last Hawaiian monarch, Lili'uokalani

Bison-Ten-Yell Day

Independence Day in Vietnam

Anniversary of the installation of the first ATM

Anniversary of the cancelation of Star Trek

Anniversary of the last day of the Julian calendar

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• September holidays
• September birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in September

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• October holidays
• October birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in October
  
  

April 3, 2012 - World Party Day

“The opposite of war is not peace.

“Peace is sort of passive. It's not action; it's inaction.

“So the opposite of war is PARTY!”

So goes the thinking of World Party Day. 

Some people have been making efforts to get people to throw “synchronous parties” around the globe every April 3. It isn't so easy to manage—people have jobs, school, responsibilities... and we don't all experience April 3 at the same time, either! The first nations to experience the day are some Pacific islands such as Kiribati, then April 3 sweeps over New Zealand and Australia and then on around the world.

Still, people are encouraged to bust out the singing and dancing and music, the fireworks, some huge feasts and major parties today! And we are urged to think about people around the world doing the same—all in the name of cooperation and peaceful coexistence!

I think that one of the cool things about World Party Day is that the idea was taken from a fictional book: Flight, A Quantum Fiction Novel, by Vanna Bonta. Fans of the book coordinated with each other via the internet, starting in 1996, to nurture the idea and create the holiday in reality.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the start of the Pony Express

Conservationist John Burroughs's birthday 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 


Plan ahead for International Pillow Fight Day on Saturday, April 7! 

There's a huge pillow fight near me. Maybe there will be one near you, too! Check it out here. 

November 14, 2009

On this date in 1889, newspaper reporter Nellie Bly left Hoboken, New Jersey, (part of greater New York City) to travel AROUND THE WORLD. She wanted to set a new world record and to mimic the journey described by Jules Verne in his fiction book Around the World in 80 Days.
Nellie Bly traveled through England, France, Italy, the Suez Canal, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, traveling the 24,899 miles by rail and steamer. She arrived back in New York on January 25, 1890—seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes and fourteen seconds after she had left! Crowds of cheering men and women greeted her, and Bly was a celebrity. She had set a new world's record! And she had beat Verne's fictional 80-day circuit. However, Nellie Bly's record was bettered just a few months later by a man (a man named Train!), who traveled around the world in 67 days. Of course, with airplanes and rocket ships, lots and lots of people have since then surpassed these nineteenth century records!

What's in a Name? Nellie Bly is actually a pen name. The intrepid reporter's real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. Because her mom christened her in a bright pink gown, as a child she was nicknamed “Pink” (sometimes “Pinky”).

Seriously speaking... Nellie Bly was a serious reporter who often dealt with serious issues. She pioneered an entirely new kind of reporting, now known as investigative journalism but then sometimes bitterly referred to as “stunt reporting.” Perhaps Bly's most famous article resulted from a ten-day undercover visit to an insane asylum, during which she posed as a mad person. The article Bly wrote about the mistreatment she and other patients received shocked her audience and caused much-needed reforms.

Nellie's trip was featured in a board game, "Around the World with Nellie Bly," and on numerous Victorian trade cards.

Modern “Around the World” games are available here.

Around the World with Matt I love-love-love the videos of Matt dancing badly all over the world! The video entitled “Dancing 2005” is my favorite, because it was Matt's first and he did it without having a following or knowing his videos would take off in popularity. But, then again, the video “Dancing 2006” is my favorite, because he films even cooler places, like the bottom of the ocean and on top of a very scary rock in Norway. But the video “Dancing 2008' is ALSO my favorite because there are, not just cool places, but also lots of people. Also, I was invited by Matt to be in this video when he filmed my neck of the woods. (I was too busy to go. Boohoo.) In other words, ALL three of the videos are my top #1 favorites! [Note: The website is called “Where the Hell is Matt?” But there is no other inappropriate language in the videos. They are awesome and kid-friendly.]
Try doing “Around the World” with a yo-yo. How about holding an "Around the World" party? Have an "Around-the-World" dinner. Get recipes here.