Event Calendar

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 from a desire by the Central Labor Union to create "a day off for the working man". Parades and pro-union demonstrations were central to the holiday at least through the time of World War I. Today, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer (which symbolically begins on Memorial Day). Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. All fifty states have also made it a state holiday.

The Full Moon nearest the autumn equinox is named the Harvest Moon since, during this month, the Moon helps the harvest by providing more light at the right time than other Full Moons do. The September full Moon has also been called Full Corn Moon, the Barley Moon, Moon When the Plums Are Scarlet, Moon When the Deer Paw the Earth, and Moon When the Calves Grow Hair by different Native American tribes. A full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun. At this time, as seen by viewers on Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth (the near side) is fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. Only during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth (the far side), completely unilluminated. As a lunar month is about 29.531, the period between full moons can be either 29 or 30 days.

The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely, elderly people in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.

Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year, designated in memory of the nearly three thousand who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. On this day, the President directs that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff and displayed from individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) marking the first plane crash on Sept. 11, 2001.

The first day of Fall or the autumnal equinox signals the end of the summer months and the beginning of winter. At this time of year, days have been shortening since the Summer Solstice some three months earlier, and the Equinox is the point where nights reach the same length as days. After this point, the Sun will shine lower and lower on the horizon until the Winter Solstice in about three months time.

National Good Neighbor Day was created in the early 1970s by Becky Mattson of Lakeside, Montana and President Jimmy Carter made it official in 1978. We now acknowledge and celebrate the importance of a good neighbor.by annually on September 28. Being neighbors goes beyond having that someone to run and borrowing the occasional cup of sugar when you run out. Good neighbors often become friends, they watch out for each other, lend a helping hand and are there for advice when asked. Neighbors are there when we need to borrow something, to get our mail for us when we are on vacation, to watch our homes and sometimes to watch our children and our pets as well as the many other things we do with our neighbors. Take today to take advantage of National Good Neighbor Day and do something nice for your neighbor. It is a blessing to have a good neighbor, but it is even a greater one to BE a good neighbor.

Yom Kippur, also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jewish people have traditionally observed this holiday with a 24-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer. Total abstention from food and drink usually begins 30 minutes before sundown and ends after nightfall the following day. Although the fast is required for all healthy adults, it is waived in the case of certain medical conditions. Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast, but since Yom Kippur involves fasting, Jewish law requires one to eat a large and festive meal on the afternoon before Yom Kippur.