What to Celebrate August 24 thru 30, 2020
Celebration Ideas for August 24 – 30, 2020
The end of August is upon us!
The kids are back in school or will be very (very!) shortly. Although “in” school may not be completely right, since lots of districts are starting with e-learning.
And it’s time to start thinking about … fall? No! That’s still too far off. And life’s still too crazy. Let’s just take things mostly one day at a time.
But it also helps to have something to look forward to. So in that spirit: It’s time to take a peek and plan your week.
And it’s always time to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of August
We have a couple of “heavy” months for you to contemplate this week. Our supply of clean, fresh water is limited, and access to it is unequal. So we need to use it wisely! And we would do well to apply some wisdom to learning to live in peace with all our global neighbors too.
National Water Quality Month: This week is also World Water Week, but the entire month has been Water Quality Month. And water quality matters when we’re talking about access to water. Because contaminated water can be downright deadly. That’s true for the water we drink as well as the water used on our food crops … just think about all those lettuce recalls we’ve had here in the US recently. Contaminated water is one of the prime suspects.
International Peace Month: Shortly after World War I ended annual conventions for peace began. At the Fifth International Democratic Peace Conference, in August 1926, the delegates—almost a quarter of them young Germans—declared the current month international peace month. The idea was to learn from the mistakes leading up to and during the war. Given the current state of the world it’s clear we need to keep trying. And we have more wars to learn from. If we’re willing.
Weekly Celebrations for 8/24 thru 8/30
We found an eclectic collection of celebrations for this week. If you love to ride & can make it out to NH it looks like a fun time! If you’re staying home, consider attending virtual sessions about global water challenges. And whether or not you drive a commercial vehicle, take some time to have your brakes inspected.
And whatever you do this week, do it with kindness.
Laconia Motorcycle Week (August 22 – 30, 2020): Celebrate motorcycles with races, charity rides, food, and more in Laconia, New Hampshire. The organizers have planned a safe but fun event. Check out the event’s FB page for the most recent updates.
World Water Week (August 24 – 28, 2020): Water is crucial to life. But the world faces many water challenges, from limited access to clean water to droughts (both short-term and long-term). This week brings together thousands of people all “focused on transforming global water challenges.” It’s usually held in Stockholm, but this year it has gone virtual, which means anyone interested in this vital topic can attend the sessions. And it’s free! Even better, recorded sessions will be available after the week is over.
Brake Safety Week (August 24 – 29, 2020): This week is technically about safe brakes in commercial vehicles. The campaign involves brake safety inspections of trucks and buses. This is obviously important for keeping commercial drivers and the public safe. But brake safety is important for everyone. So why don’t the rest of us use it as a reminder to have our own brakes checked too?
Be Kind to Humankind Week (August 25 – 31, 2020): We do hope everyone tries to be kind everyday. But we get it! Sometimes life gets challenging and we need to work on our kindness muscles. This week is the perfect time to do that! It’s seven days, each with its own kindness theme. If we all participate, by the end of the week the world will be a kinder place.
Celebration Days coming up for Aug. 24 thru Aug. 30
This week we celebrate a planet (yes, it’s a planet!), toilet paper, and bow ties.
We spoil our dogs and remember all the pets that came before.
We eat waffles, sip whiskey sours, and go to the beach. Plus so much more, all waiting for you to create your own fun-tastic week.
August 24:
Pluto Demoted Day: This is your annual reminder that Pluto is a planet. No matter what the silly astronomers say.
Vesuvius Day: Long before humans even knew Pluto existed another historic event erupted—quite literally—on the scene. Mount Vesuvius, which had been dormant for centuries, suddenly exploded with one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history.
National Waffle Day: Celebrate the anniversary of the first waffle iron patent—issued on Aug. 24, 1869—by using one to make your favorite waffles. Now, waffle irons existed before that but they were hard to handle & you could easily get burned using one. Cornelius Swartwout fixed those problems.
National Peach Pie Day: After you’ve had your fill of waffles, make yourself a peach pie for dessert! It’s peak peach season, so definitely use fresh peaches if you can.
August 25:
National Whiskey Sour Day: Celebrate Tuesday with a refreshing whiskey sour or 2. Responsibly, of course.
National Park Service Founders Day: Celebrate the National Park Service’s 104th birthday. If you can make it out to a National Park that would be the perfect way to celebrate. Or at least make a plan to visit one or more soon.
National Secondhand Wardrobe Day: Not everyone is a fan of “used” clothes. But buying second-hand is a fabulous way to save money and the earth. Why should perfectly good clothes go to a landfill when it can find a new, useful life on you? And of course, your perfectly good but unwanted clothes can find a new life on someone else. It’s a win-win. The same goes for furniture, knick-knacks, books, and more. Use this day to both purge what you don’t need and pick up items you do need.
National Banana Split Day: After a day exploring a National Park and scouring secondhand shops you deserve a treat. Specifically a decadent banana split with your favorite ice cream flavor(s) and toppings.
August 26:
National Dog Day: This day is going to the dogs. In the best way possible. Spoil your pooch all day (more than usual). And if you’ve been thinking about adopting a new good boy (or girl) stop thinking and do it!
National Toilet Paper Day: Celebrate this day by being thankful someone created the nice soft stuff we use today. Otherwise you’d still be using newspaper, leaves, sponges, moss, or various other less comfortable options. Although a few months ago it was starting to seem like we might have to try some of those again! 😧
National Webmistress Day: For this day give a special shout-out to web developers who happen to be women. Because while they’re not exactly rare any more, it can still sometimes be hard for female webmasters to be taken seriously.
National Cherry Popsicle Day: After a full day of making your dog feel special, giving thanks for toilet paper, and honoring webmistresses you deserve a treat. Why make that treat a cherry Popsicle? It’s even incredibly simple to make cherry popsicles at home.
August 27:
Just Because Day: For this one day you don’t need a reason for anything you do! Do it just because.
The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day: This day honors Margaret Wolfe Hungerford who wrote under the pseudonym “The Duchess”. She wasn’t actually a duchess, but she did create the famous phrase “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
National Pots de Creme Day: Your dessert on Aug. 27 will be pots de creme. Because how else can you celebrate appropriately? This loose custard is simple to make. And quite adaptable to different flavors and toppings. So maybe don’t stop with celebrating it for just this one day? Here’s a no-bake chocolate pots de creme you may like to try.
August 28:
Bow Tie Day: If you already wear bow ties you’re already celebrating this day right! If you don’t, then get yourself some bow ties and wear one on Aug. 28. When you realize just how cool bow ties are, you ‘ll want to wear them every day!
Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day: Take some time to remember all the furry friends you’ve lost. Along with the feathered & the scaly if that applies. Because every pet lost leaves a little bit of themselves behind in our hearts.
Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day: Computers these days are faster than they were when this day was created. But they can still get bogged down & be frustratingly slow! And that’s when you have to amuse yourself while you’re waiting. According to the fun folks at Wellcat.com, one way to do that is to race your mouse around the icons on your desktop. Assuming you have icons on your desktop. If you’re like us & you hide those things, well un-hide ’em for the day & play a bit!
National Red Wine Day: What’s your favorite red wine? Open a bottle and enjoy. Or try a red wine you’ve never had before. You never know when you might discover a new favorite.
National Cherry Turnover Day: Hand pies are single-serving perfection, no matter the crust or filling. But for this day only cherry turnovers will do. If you’d like to make them yourself these cherry turnovers with brown sugar icing are dead simple, using packaged puff pastry and cherry pie filling. Or get a little fancier and make the pie filling yourself & add a twist with a cheesecake layer. Your cherry cheesecake turnover recipe is here.
August 29:
International Bat Night: See if there’s an event near you for this batty-rific celebration. If not, learn about bats on your own. They’re truly fascinating little critters!
International Day Against Nuclear Tests: On this day we raise awareness of how nuclear explosions negatively affect our world. Even if they’re “just” tests.
Individual Rights Day: Celebrate the birthday of philosopher John Locke. He argued that all humans have “basic property rights” (to their own bodies) simply by being sovereign persons. And government cannot take away those rights but must protect them. In his Second Treatise on Civil Government he states “Every man has a property in his own person that no body has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say are properly his…” Why not learn more about his philosophy and see if you agree.
More Herbs, Less Salt Day: Doctors & other health experts advise using less salt in our foods. But that means we need other ways to add flavor. Herbs to the rescue! Obviously Tom & Ruth Roy of Wellcat.com agree, because they created this day to remind us to put away the salt shaker and pile on the herbs instead.
National Chop Suey Day: Fuel your bat-watching, individual right-protecting, nuclear test-protesting day with chop suey. Although we consider it Chinese food, it’s more likely Chinese-American food, created by Chinese immigrants here in the US. But we don’t know exactly when, where, or by whom. Oh well. It’s a good thing we don’t need to know those things to enjoy chop suey!
August 30:
International Whale Shark Day: Celebrate the huge shark that’s completely harmless to humans. But sadly humans are not harmless to the whale shark, which is why it’s endangered and its population is decreasing. 😢
National Beach Day: Head to the beach for a day of fun and relaxation. And pick up any trash you find while you’re there. Because a clean beach is a healthy beach … for humans and animals alike.
International Cabernet Sauvignon Day: If you celebrated Red Wine Day on the 28th you may have already celebrated this grape. But that doesn’t matter in the least! Maybe you have some rich, red Cab left to celebrate with. But if not (or if you celebrated with a different red), open your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon & make a toast. To absolutely anything … even the grape that made the wine if you can’t think of anything else!
National Toasted Marshmallow Day: You might think this day should go with S’mores Day. But you’d be wrong! No, toasted marshmallows deserve a day to shine all on their own. Although there’s nothing stopping you from using them to make s’more S’mores! 😉 Do you prefer your marshmallows lightly toasted or nicely charred?
