Yes it’s Father’s Day, the 3rd Sunday of every June, here it comes rollings in like a John Deer Tractor. So you’re probably thinking what most people think, it’s just another Hallmark Holiday, whatever, well you are wrong. I started to look into the past to figure out where did this holiday come from and why? Well there are two really good stories and I will let you decide which one is real, then I am going to tell you about some great ideas for Father’s Day, “No, they do not include a tie.”
The first version of the origin of Father’s Day is based on a Sunday sermon in Fairmont, West Virginia in July 1908. Grace Golden Clayton was mourning the loss of her father and 360 other men killed in a deadly mine explosion, 250 of those men were fathers leaving hundreds of children fatherless. Mrs. Clayton wanted to celebrate her father and the others lost so she hosted what they say is the first Father’s Day celebration.
The second account dates back to 1909, a woman in Washington State named Sonora Smart Dodd who was 16-years old, came up with the idea in church while her pastor was giving a Mother’s Day sermon. Sonora’s dad, William Smart, was a veteran of the Civil War and was left a widower when his wife died in childbirth to their 6th child. He single handedly raised his six children by himself on his small farm in Washington. Sonora wanted to honor the strength and selflessness that her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent and petitioned her church for a sermon honoring her father and all fathers. With the help of the church, the local YMCA, and the shopkeepers, a celebration for all fathers was held on July 19, 1910, which happened to also be the 3rd Sunday of that June.
So to be honest I don’t know which story is the ‘official’ Father’s Day story but I like them both. In 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson, through an Executive Order designated the third Sunday of June as the official day to celebrate Father’s Day. In 1972, President Nixon signed a proclamation making President Johnson’s Executive Order permanent.
Depending on your dad, there are so many things to do and share with your father on this Father’s Day, especially if you want to get dirty and have some fun. Go catch some “Bass in the Grass” on the Big ‘O’ or on the many other waterways in our area, take an airboat ride, or perhaps a canoe trip. If your dad is into firearms take him to a local firing range and make it a great day of shooting guns and spending good quality time together. Then on the other hand, there are probably many fathers who just want some quiet time, perhaps a good meal, a beer or two, and a baseball game on the TV.
REMEMBER “LIFE IS SHORT, SPEND TIME WITH THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER”, FATHER’S DAY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ONE DAY A YEAR.
No matter what you end up doing for your Dad, or what you end up doing with your kids, enjoy the day. Remember “Life is short, spend time with the people that matter”, Father’s Day does not have to be one day a year. So to all the fathers out there I want to wish you “Happy Father’s Day.” I want you to get “Dirty”, “Have Fun” and do what dad’s do best “Get Smelly”. “Dad I love
you” let’s go fishing”.
