How to Celebrate Father's Day
The third Sunday in June is Dad's time in the sun. And, contrary to what some cynics contend, this holiday was not the invention of a greeting card company - commercial greeting cards as we know them didn't even exist when Sonora Smart Dodd thought up Father's Day in 1909.
Steps:
1. Pamper him with whatever culinary ceremonies he enjoys most, whether it's breakfast in bed, a burgers-and-beer lunch at the local sports bar, dinner at his favorite four-star restaurant - or all of the above. (After all, Father's Day comes but once a year.)
2. Eschew the ties, shirts, golf balls and best-selling thrillers. Instead give him something you know he'd love but isn't likely to buy for himself: perhaps Ella Fitzgerald's songbook collection on CD, a drawing he's been admiring in a local gallery, or an autographed photo of his childhood baseball hero.
3. Look for clues. If he keeps saying he wishes he'd practiced the piano when his mother told him to, sign him up for lessons. If he reads every issue of "Gourmet" Magazine cover to cover, give him a gift certificate for a cooking course - in France, Italy or Switzerland, if you're feeling flush.
4. Give him the ultimate gift: your time. Present him with a gift certificate announcing the plan: dinner and a ball game, a day at the beach, a weekend jaunt to the PGA tournament, a camping trip in the Rockies, or simply an afternoon of side-by-side digging in the garden.
5. Make him a scrapbook commemorating "Life With Father" over the past year. Or go all out and make a scrapbook, or a series of them, covering your whole life together.
6. Honor your father's memory if he's no longer living. Send a donation to his favorite charity, or lend a hand to a cause he cared about.
7. Remember, you needn't limit Father's Day to your biological dad. Do something nice for all the father figures in your life, whether grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, godfathers, big brothers or that first boss who helped you launch your career.
Trivia:
Father's Day was the brainchild of Sonora Smart Dodd, whose mother had died giving birth to her. At a time when many widowed men sent their offspring to live with relatives, Sonora's father reared her and her five siblings alone, on a farm in eastern Washington. In 1909, grown and married, Sonora was in church listening to a Mother's Day sermon when the thought struck her that fathers deserved credit, too - especially hers. Through her efforts, Spokane, Washington, held the first Father's Day observance the following year.
By 1924, the custom had spread through the country, and Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential proclamation in support of Father's Day. Nearly 60 years later, President Richard Nixon made it permanent in 1972, when he requested that Congress pass a joint resolution making the third Sunday in June a National Day of Observance in honor of fathers everywhere.
New Rochelle's earliest residents were the Siwanoys, living on the southern end of Davenport Neck -- the area known as Titus Mill farm. They sustained themselves by gathering food from the abundant fish, clams and oysters found along the shore of Long Island Sound.
The Huguenots followed in 1688. Also settling along the water's edge, they used the water routes into New York City to transport their locally grown produce by sloop. In later years a steamboat provided daily service from New Rochelle to the City.
For almost 300 years, New Rochelle's waterfront has continued to play an important role in the life of the community. In the nineteenth century it became a popular place for summer fun. Numerous parks were built as play lands for pleasure-seekers, including Starin's "Island Grand Cafe and Amusement Park."
In the early part of the twentieth century, the County's famous Glen Island Casino on Long Island Sound continued to draw such celebrities as Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers and Ozzie Nelson. Others came to the waterfront seeking the peace, tranquility and scenic beauty along this splendid shore.
As the crow flies, the shoreline within the City of New Rochelle measures 2.7 miles. But with its many irregularities and off-shore islands, the actual length of the waterfront is 9.3 miles. The unusual features of this splendid coast have over the years earned it the nickname, "the Queen City of the Sound."
New Roc City
New Roc City, a 1.2 million square-foot retail and entertainment center in downtown New Rochelle, offers fun and excitement for the entire family. New Roc City is the home of the Tower Space Shot Ride, the only one in the Northeast! It's also the home of Westchester County's only IMAX Theater, and Westchester's largest Megaplex with 18 movie theaters! And if that's not enough, The Fun House offers all the entertainment needed to keep the wholefamily busy day and night! New Roc n' Bowl is Glow in the dark Bowling complete with a snack bar and full Liquor License for the older competitors.
New Roc Ice, the skating rinks offering -- The Central Park Skating Pond, with a sculptured ice surface, is complete with iron rails, park benches, lamp posts and a city feel. The NHL-size skating arena, with its 50-foot ceiling and energizing murals, features hockey games, figure skating and gala special events and shows.
Hire a limo for your weddings, birthdays, proms, and romantic dates, or treat your guests and clients to a Westchester limousine shuttle service for a tour around town, to and from hotels and airports, and during special corporate events. And for your limousine service needs only one name can be trusted: Westchester Limousine Service. Five years of first-class quality limousine service by our professionally trained chauffeurs and staff have earned Westchester Limousine Service a reputation as the New York limousine service company to hire for every function or occasion. Our stable of limousines is widely arrayed from simple elegant town cars to stylish sedans and luxurious stretch limousines. Our services cover all cities, towns and villages in Westchester County, New York.