What to Celebrate April 8 to 14, 2019
Celebration Ideas for April 7 – 14, 2019
It’s actually warm today! In fact the whole weekend’s supposed to be warm. Possibly some rain too. But warm!
Of course, it’ll cool off again next week. But we’ll take it! Besides, next week there’s all kinds of good things to keep us warm. Food, pets, & gardening for example.
But don’t take our word for it. Jump in to take a peek & plan your week.
And as always …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All April Long
For April we protect & love the animals. Our pets especially, but really all animals anywhere.
We also vow to pay attention to the road while driving (and get our family & friends to do the same). And we fuel all this love & focus with grilled cheese.
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month: For April we learn to recognize the signs of cruelty & mistreatment of animals (and report it if we see it). Vow to adopt & not shop (because puppy mills are cruel places). Donate if we can. And spread the word!
National Pet Month: Ok, so this is technically a UK celebration. But it fits well with Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. Plus there’s National Pet Day on the 11th. So celebrate no matter where you live. Learn about responsible pet ownership (not that you aren’t already responsible … but there’s always more to learn!). Pamper your pets. Donate to pet charities. And spread the word.
National Distracted Driving Awareness Month: There are so many ways to be distracted behind the wheel! And that can be dangerous. So put away your devices. Only use your dashboard touch screens while stopped. And just generally pay attention to the road. Don’t be one of the 100 people injured each day due to distracted driving. Even more important, don’t cause one of the 9 daily deaths from distracted driving.
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month: And on a lighter (and deliciouser) note, enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches all month. Find a whole month’s worth of yummy, toasty cheesiness here. And don’t miss Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day on the 12th!
Weekly Celebrations for April’s 2nd Week
The weekly celebrations for this week are on the serious side. Librarians & volunteers get their due. So do the people protecting crime victims’ rights. And we learn about head & neck cancers; maybe even get ourselves & our loved ones a screening.
National Library Week (April 7 – 13, 2019): Libraries are amazing resources to their communities. And the librarians & other library workers are the glue that holds it all together. This week recognizes this and honors them all.
National Volunteer Week (April 7 – 13, 2019): This week recognizes the volunteers who help make their communities better places. If you don’t already volunteer, consider learning more about the different opportunities in your community. Then volunteer during this week. Hopefully you’ll decide to keep it up!
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 7 – 13, 2019): This week recognizes the rights of those affected by crime. And honors the people and organizations providing exceptional services to crime victims.
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (April 7 – 14, 2019): During this week many hospitals & medical centers offer free head & neck cancer screenings.
Celebration Days coming up for Apr. 8 thru Apr. 14
This week is a fun, delicious, and educational one, among other things.
We listen to Louie, Louie for 24 hours straight. Play some Scrabble. And get some gardening started. We learn about dog fighting, thank library workers, and read all day (possibly something from a bookmobile?).
We fuel all this fun & learning with empanadas, Chinese almond cookies, cinnamon crescents, and more.
So let’s get ready for another fun-tastic week!
April 8:
National Dog Fighting Awareness Day: Help the ASPCA fight dog fighting. Learn to recognize the signs & how to report it. It’s more widespread than many people realize. So spread the word, too. All dogs deserve better than to be used for this inhumane “sport.”
Draw a Bird Day: This day honors the memory of a little girl who lifted the spirits of a lot of wounded soldiers in England during WWII. It all started when she asked her hospitalized uncle to draw a bird. That simple request snowballed into lots of patients drawing lots of birds. Sadly she was killed a few years later. But we still remember her on her birthday, April 8, by drawing birds.
National Zoo Lovers Day: This is a day to get out to your zoo! And if you’re someone who questions the value of zoos, know that many zoos have evolved over the years. They don’t just display animals for entertainment, they’re also involved in conservation efforts to protect animals in the wild. If your zoo is one of these, it deserves your support.
Trading Cards for Grown-Ups Day: Tom & Ruth Roy of Wellcat believe adults should be able to indulge in the joy of trading cards just like the kids. And we agree!
National Empanada Day: Enjoy stuffed pastries/breads for this day. Empanadas came to the Americas from Spain, and as they spread each region adapted them to their tastes. So today empanadas take many different forms! Have your favorite or try a new kind to celebrate this day.
April 9:
Jumbo Day: There are a number of local Jumbo Days around the country, but this Jumbo Day refers to the day a really big elephant arrived in America to become part of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was April 9, 1882 and the elephant’s name was Jumbo. He was an immediate hit and it wasn’t long before his name came to mean “enormous” or “gigantic.”
Appomattox Day: Celebrate the official end of the Civil War on April 9, 1865. On that date General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant after the brief Battle of Appomattox Court House. Grant wrote and Lee signed the terms of surrender, ending the 4-year war.
National Cherish an Antique Day: Are there any family heirlooms you’d like to learn more about? This is the day to do that! Create a written record that can be passed down through the generations along with the item. Or if you have cherished antiques in need of cleaning or repair, get that done. Then display them proudly! And no, this day doesn’t refer to your “antique” Aunt Helen or Uncle Herman. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cherish them, too.
National Library Workers Day: Thank your library staff for all they do on this day! They are researchers, keepers of local history, and champions for opportunities for young people. This day happens on the Tuesday of National Library Week and highlights the need for better salaries & benefits for library workers.
National Chinese Almond Cookie Day: Do you look forward to the almond cookies that end the meal when you have Chinese food? If you do, then this day’s for you! Whether or not you have Chinese food you can have the almond cookies. If you’d like to make them yourself, here’s a recipe to try.
April 10:
Safety Pin Day: Celebrate the day Walter Hunt got a patent on the very useful safety pin. To celebrate, pin everything in sight! Or not.
National Bookmobile Day: This is another part of National Library Week. It celebrates bookmobiles (duh!) and the way they help bring learning into the community.
National Cinnamon Crescent Day: Crescent rolls filled with cinnamon & sugar! How can you go wrong? Eat ‘em all day! And don’t feel a moment’s guilt either. Cinnamon is good for you. When you use packed crescent roll dough they’re incredibly simple to make.
April 11:
National Pet Day: Celebrate your pet(s). Give them lots of extra love & treats. You know they deserve it! 💗
National Alcohol Screening Day: If you or someone you know might have a problem with alcohol, get screened. And then get help if you need it. And even if you don’t have a problem, learn more about alcohol dependence so you can recognize it if it does happen to you or a loved one.
Submarine Day: It’s the 2nd Submarine Day of the year! This date marks the anniversary of the U.S. Navy’s purchase of its first submarine. And the creation of the U.S. Submarine Force.
International Louie Louie Day: Listen to “Louie Louie” all day long on the birthday of the man who wrote it, Richard Berry. There’s dozens of versions (possibly even more than 1500!) so even if you don’t want to repeat a version you shouldn’t have any trouble finding enough to listen all day …
National Cheese Fondue Day: Did your parents (or you!) have fondue parties? They were once quite popular. Resurrect the idea for this day. Invite your friends over, whip up a delicious cheese dip (or 2), and dip whatever your heart desires (pretty much anything’s better with cheese!). Or if there’s a The Melting Pot restaurant near you head over there. They’re usually running specials for the day.
April 12:
Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day: Do like the name says and read all day! Or at least gather the family & read together for at least 30 minutes. But we vote for all day if you can manage it.
International Day of Human Space Flight: Celebrate the anniversary of the first human space flight. The date was April 12, 1961. The human was Soviet astronaut (cosmonaut) Yuri Gagarin.
National Day of Silence: This student-led movement highlights the ongoing bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students and how this has a silencing effect on them. Students participate by taking a vow of silence for the day.
National Licorice Day: This day is for licorice lovers! It looks like it was originally for black licorice lovers. But of course those who love red vines & other “licorice” candies won’t be denied. So whatever licorice you love, indulge in celebration of this day.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day: Celebrate the deliciousness of melty cheese sandwiched between slices of toasty bread. Stick with the classic, like this Best Ever Grilled Cheese, or get creative and try one or more of these 50 grilled cheese variations (Of course, if you’ve been celebrating Grilled Cheese Month you’ve already got this celebration covered!).
April 13:
National Scrabble Day: Play Scrabble! We celebrate this fun if often frustrating game on the birthday of Alfred M. Butts. He created a game he called Lexico. That game eventually became Scrabble!
Thomas Jefferson Day: Celebrate the birthday of the 3rd President of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was also a lawyer and a scientist; he was intensely curious and kept detailed notes on many things, including the weather.
National Peach Cobbler Day: Serve peach cobbler for dessert! Or have a dish while enjoying a game of Scrabble. Buy a cobbler or, if you have time, make Iva’s Peach Cobbler.
April 14:
National Dolphin Day: Learn more about these intelligent & adorable animals for this day. Maybe even take a tour to see some, if you happen to live near them.
International Moment of Laughter Day: On this day you must laugh out loud. Yep it’s as simple as that. Find something funny or think of something funny and laugh.
National Gardening Day: This is the day to get your garden started! If you live where there’s still a danger of frost, get some seeds started indoors. Or at least finalize your plans for this year’s garden. Then you’ll be all ready to go when the weather is finally cooperating.
National Pecan Day: It’s a deliciously nutty day! And for this day the nuts are all pecans. So add pecans to everything all day. Here are a few recipes to get you started.
