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Here we are in June already. Everyone knows that June is the month of dads, grads, and brides, but if you think that's all there is to June, you've got a lot to learn, my friend. There is much more to June than Father's Day, getting out of school, and big weddings. For instance, well, let's begin with the boring hard facts and stats:
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. June contains the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the most daylight hours, and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours (excluding polar regions in both cases).
June in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to December in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the traditional astronomical summer is June 21 (meteorological summer begins on June1). In the Southern hemisphere, meteorological winter begins on 1 June.
Now that we've gotten the boring stuff out of the way, here's the fun stuff. A few special celebrations and holidays that occur in the merry month of June that I guarantee you had no clue about. June is Aquarium Month, go out and look at some fish. June is Candy Month, visit your nearest See's Candy store or just OD on Mounds and Snickers Bars. It's Dairy Month, and it's a good thing too because you need a cold glass of milk to wash down all that candy.
June is also National Accordion Month, if anyone actually cares. June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, would you like some broccoli with that candy bar? And now, get ready for this one. Believe it or not, June is Turkey Lovers Month. That's right, June. You can bet that whoever it was from the National Turkey Federation that pushed for June to be Turkey Month would probably be in favor of Making December 7th Japanese Appreciation Day.
There are also some special days in June for us to celebrate. Did you know that the first Friday in June is National Doughnut Day? And June 3rd is Repeat Day. June 3rd is repeat Day. June 3rd is Repeat Day, June 3rd is, oh, never mind. June 4th is Applesauce Cake Day, Hug Your Cat Day and Old Maid's Day. All three kind of go together, don't they?
June 6th is National Yo-Yo Day. On this day all you grandmas and grandpas can try to explain to the kids what the heck a yo-yo is, if you can get them away from their electronics. Now, getting back to the really important celebratory days, June 7th is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Yeah! That's the kind of day this country needs more of.
June 9th is Donald Duck Day, a day that is near and dear to me. This day celebrates Donald's animated cartoon debut. He first made his screen appearance in Walt Disney's cartoon short, "The Wise Hen" on June 9, 1934. Donald will be 82 this year. For many years I was the writer of the Donald Duck newspaper comic strip, so in honor of Donald Duck every June 9th I walk around the house without my pants on.
And another very important day in June falls on the 23rd, it's National Columnists Day. This day recognizes the importance and value of newspaper columnists! In celebration of this extra special day you should mail me lots and lots of money. I will happily accept any and all denominations of United States currency, preferably in the $10, $20, and $50 range.
There are many other special days in June including Take Your Dog to Work Day on the 24th, Sun glasses Day on the 27th, Waffle Iron Day on the 29th, and my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary on the 30th, but really, how much more can I milk this thing? Whatever you decide to celebrate, enjoy June.
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JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. He's been a JWR contributor since 1999.
