Swing your partner and dosey-do, don’t let go. September is National Square Dance Month, here we go!
Square dancing was first documented in 16th-century England, but familiar in France and throughout Europe, too. As European immigrants settled in North America, they brought the dance with them. In the early years of the country, there was mixing of dancing styles between black and white people. The stereotype many Americans have of square dancing as an activity for old white people is a misjudgment. Early forms of square dancing actually have roots in the African-American slave communities.
The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide, possibly due to its association in the 20th century with the romanticized image of the American cowboy. Square dancing is, therefore, strongly associated with the U.S. Nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance. Though square dancing has undergone considerable development since then, many countries and regions have attained the status of square dancing as a folk dance.
GRAB A PARTNER
The art of square dancing requires a few standard requirements, beginning with dancers. Four couples, eight dancers total, arranged in a square, with one pair on each side facing the middle of the square. Women are positioned to the left of the men, known as the corner. The dance moves counterclockwise in a circular flow. The handhold is when one dancer’s hand comes together with the other dancer’s hand. When the grasp is broken, the handhold is over. To Allemande left means to hold left hands and walk around each other, then return to their original position. The Ladies Chain is when the ladies are singled out to walk towards each other and hold right hands. While walking through, they drop hands and give the left hands to each others’ partner.
HISTORY
While we were unable to identify the source of National Square Dance Month, in the early 1970s, efforts were being made for a Congressional resolution for September to be declared as National Square Dancing Month. No evidence has been found at this time that a decision, joint or otherwise, was made.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Participating in a local square dance club is also a great way to get involved in the community and make life-long friends. Joining a square dance class is the best way to learn how to swing your partner and dosey-do!
World Party Day on April 3rd encourages a coordinated effort of joyful human celebration around the globe.
The world gathers to celebrate for many reasons. Forming a party often includes food, beverages, music, games, and other festivities. Hosts often create a theme or the theme generates the party. Several common modern-day party themes include bachelor and bachelorette, birthday, retirement, anniversary, graduation and welcome home. Many other party themes focus on specific foods.
In our modern world, parties can also be virtual. We don’t always have to gather in the same location to celebrate a specific event or day. Technology brings us together through video and the internet allowing us to connect long-distance and celebrate all our favorite ways. Here’s a Playlist to get your Party Started…
The novel Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel, by Vanna Bonta published in 1995, which concludes with a synchronized worldwide celebration that occurs on April 3, 2000, is the inspiration for World Party Day. Gatherings can be small or large organized festivals.
World Party Day was first observed in 1996 after the publication of Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel by Vanna Bonta. Since then, the sentiment explored by the novel has spread around the world.
HOW TO OBSERVE #WorldPartyDay
Where ever you are, celebrate with friends and family. Pick a theme that best fits the day. We’ve created a list of fun ideas to invite friends to join you virtually. Go online and create a video chat or an event on social media to share your party.
Make your own pizza party – Everyone makes their own creative pizza. Share the recipe with other party participants.
Movie night party – Pick a movie that all your party invitees will be watching. Pop popcorn and grab your drinks. Everyone starts the movie at the same time and lets the comments fill the online event page.
Trivia party night – Play online trivia in a video chat with friends and family.
Dance party – Challenge friends to record their best dance moves and share them with each other.
Game party – Hook up the gaming systems and invite friends and family to join you in the virtual world of games.
Art party – Do it Bob Ross style and invite a local artist to demonstrate techniques for a group of your friends all through the power of the internet. Schedule your events around their already scheduled ones to show your support and appreciation.
Take-out party – Pick your favorite restaurants and do a take-out party. Pick just appetizers or your favorite desserts. Everyone meet back at your respective homes and tune in to the event to share where you ordered from. Celebrate good times and good friends while giving a shout-out to the restaurants you love the most!
Join the crowd and use #WorldPartyDay to share on social media.
As the holiday season fades away, our minds turn to our next opportunity for a vacation. While that may seem far off, National Shop for Travel Day on the second Tuesday in January reminds us to start planning now!
Today, there are more tools and resources than ever before to help us shop for that perfect trip. How we choose to travel, our accommodations, and where we relax and have fun has become mobile and virtual. Whether we’re planning a weekend getaway or our dream vacation, we can shop, compare, plan, and book all in just a few clicks.
Advancements made by travel technology innovators and intermediaries have not only provided us with the tools to expertly guide us through the booking experience, but they get us there, too. They connect us to the people who put us in the beautiful places we want to stay. Today, more than ever before, we can find just the accommodation we’ve been seeking and even tour it before we go, view ratings and firsthand accounts from other travelers, and catch a glimpse of what our trip will be like long before it begins.
Traveling for pleasure – or for work – can be a tremendous expense in both dollars and time, and you want the reassurance that you’re making the right choices whether you’re going home to visit old friends or visiting a city for the very first time. These apps and tools provide that confidence and actually make it fun to explore the limitless possibilities for travel.
Wherever and whenever you have your heart set to go, start shopping now. Whatever the trip may be, National Shop for Travel Day is the perfect time to visit an online travel company and book it.
The Travel Technology Association founded National Shop for Travel Day in 2018 to celebrate the joy of travel and the technology innovators who have transformed the way we all shop, compare, plan, and book our vacations. It’s a perfect time! Follow Travel Tech @traveltech on Twitter.
About the Travel Technology Association
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the premier trade association for the travel technology industry. Founded in 1998, Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology. Travel Tech includes global distribution systems, online travel agencies, metasearch companies, and short-term rental platforms.
These technology innovators, directly and indirectly, create the infrastructure and the marketplace that travelers, suppliers, and intermediaries benefit from today. Travel Tech members transform the way we travel, providing suppliers and consumers with invaluable access to options while purchasing and managing their travel.
Technology has made shopping for travel easier. Not only can we comparison shop, but it also makes planning a lot easier. Celebrate the day by making a list of the places you dream of going, need to go, and would like to see again.
Compare hotels, rentals, and other lodgings available. Secluded cabins, RV rentals, and camping gear are available, too.
Check flights, trains, or even routes for taking a road trip. Don’t forget to plan stops along some of the country’s most scenic byways and historic routes.
Ask friends and family for the best travel agents to help you make the most of your travel plans.
Also, ask those friends about their favorite trips – business and vacations. They can help you find the best places to explore.
Find the ideal times of the year to travel for business and pleasure. If you’re trying to avoid crowds, the offseason may be the best time of year to travel.
Discover unique vacations that are worth writing home about.
Look for adventures that take you away from the crowd and give you a unique view of the world.
Make a list of places you would like to go and check the dates. Start shopping on your favorite sites or contact your travel agent. Use #ShopForTravelDay to share on social media.
National Hug A Plumber Day on April 25th recognizes those who come to our rescue when pipes leak or drains are clogged.
Plumbers have kept the water flowing since ancient Rome. Whether it is a minor leak to a major clog, a plumber will have the right tool for the job. They also help us to install the right types of pipes and plumbing when building a house or new business. They’re the water specialists – designing plumbing systems that work when we need it. Thanks to plumbers, we have hot water on demand. Showers come with a variety of options and kitchens provide the ultimate convenience.
If you consider the contribution of plumbing to human life, the other sciences fade into insignificance. ~ James P. Gorman
Consider how plumbers improve our lives and health in the modern world. Their contributions could be inventions the human race would have a difficult time living without. Given a choice between using only a flush toilet or a smartphone for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Progress is electricity, school consolidation, church remodeling, second farm tractors, second farm cars, hay balers, corn-pickers, grain combines, field choppers and indoor plumbing. ~ Ollie from the film Hoosiers
Count all the ways you appreciate plumbers. From the moment you wake in the morning to every glass, flush and wash, a plumber makes life easier even if you never have to call one. Celebrate by thanking a plumber you know. Send them a card or a shoutout online. They will appreciate the recognition, too. And when you do, be sure to use #NationalHugAPlumberDay on Social Media.
