Event Calendar

March’s Full Moon is traditionally called the Full Worm Moon by the Native Americans who used the Moons to track the seasons. At the time of this spring Moon, the ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. In some regions, this is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins. 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.

Daylight Saving Time (or summertime as it is called in many countries) is a practice used to get more light out of the day by advancing clocks by one hour during the summer. During Daylight Saving Time, the sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning, when people are usually asleep anyway, and sets one hour later in the evening, seeming to stretch the day longer. The clock moves ahead (thus, losing one hour) when DST starts, typically in the spring, and falls back one hour (thus, gaining one hour) when DST ends in the fall. To make it easier to remember which way the clock goes, keep in mind one of these sayings: “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead, fall behind.” Daylight Savings Time in the United States of America starts on the second Sunday in March of each year.

Observed annually around the world, March 19th is National Let’s Laugh Day. Some studies have shown that laughter may boost your immune system, relieve tension and help you relax. Who does not need any of those things in our busy and hectic world? Did you know that when you and a friend have those long bouts of uncontrolled laughter that end in tears and aching stomach muscles, you burn between 10-40 calories per 10 minutes? And, we have all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine." Since laughter is contagious, go ahead and keep giving each other those don’t-look-at-me-or-I’ll-start-laughing-again looks and you’ll keep right on burning more laugh-calories--while keeping each other healthy! "We don’t laugh because we’re happy — we’re happy because we laugh." William James

Spring comes in between the 19th to the 23rd of March and at different times. It changes on a yearly basis because the first official day of spring is the (Spring) Vernal Equinox. This is when the sun is directly above the equator. It rises due East and sets due West and does not do so on the exact same day every year since the calendar is not exactly 365 precise days every single year.

This day was created to honor and recognize the hard work, devotion and sacrifices of single parenting. Raising children can be challenging. In 1984, Janice Moglen wrote an article, collaborated with the organization, Parents Without Partners, and began to petition to have states declare recognition of single parents with their own Single Parents Day. It is the belief that the day, March 21, was chosen to coincide with the inception of Parents Without Partners, which began on March 21,1957. Proclamation 5166 was presented to, and signed, by President Ronald Reagan declaring March 21st, 1984 as National Single Parent Day. We all know of a family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker or someone who is a single parent. Support and appreciate them. Make this day a special one for the single parents that you know.

National Good Samaritan Day also known as Good Samaritan Involvement Day, is a day for unselfish actions to help those in need and to celebrate kindness. It is not an official national holiday, but one that should remind us to keep an eye out for one another, and to help whenever you can on a daily basis. See how you can make a difference in a strangers life today by putting forth the effort to help someone in need and performing an act of kindness.