Sunday June 20th: Father’s Day 2021: Celebrating the Awesome Fathers and Dads!

Here is a heartwarming video (1.26 minutes) created by children at the Mason Valley Boys & Girls Club: https://www.facebook.com/bgcmasonvalley/videos/310441570719443     (Just copy the address into your address bar to access the video. Warning: it may make you smile.)

The third Sunday in June is recognized at Father’s Day. Every human on Earth has a biological father. Some fathers are role models for good parenting, others for how not to parent. Some fathers are present for their children, while some men are the father-figures for those who were absent.

Some mothers are also the fathers. Some fathers are the parents of beloved “fur babies.”

Fatherhood doesn’t come with a handbook and it’s not a “cookie cutter” talent. But many of the best fathers exemplify memorable loving parenting through providing safety, kind words, patient presence, humor; and teaching resourcefulness, integrity, character.

Mason Valley has had an abundance of fathers we celebrate from our past and present. Many community members have been fortunate to have more than one father figure in our life time.

Father’s Day 2021: Celebrating the Awesome Fathers and Dads!

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac (https://www.almanac.com/content/when-fathers-day):

“The first known Father’s Day service occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, after hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U.S. history. The Sunday service happened because of the efforts of Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a dedicated reverend.

While missing her own dad, who had died in 1896, Mrs. Clayton wanted to honor the many fathers who had died in the mining explosion, which killed more than 360 men and boys, and left about 1,000 children fatherless. Although the Fairmont service was the first known to honor fathers, it did not turn into an annual event, nor was the idea promoted (a large July 4 celebration in Fairmont and a tragic young death from typhoid fever took over the news at the time).

Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd. The mother of Father’s Day was raised by a single dad. Credit: Visit Spokane

Father’s Day Gains Momentum

Several other people across the nation had similar ideas throughout the years, but Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd is credited for being the one to popularize it, starting events that led to Father’s Day becoming a U.S. national holiday.

Her story began as she sat listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Mrs. Dodd thought that it might be nice to honor fathers as well. Her father, William Smart, had raised his SIX children alone on his farm in Washington after his wife died giving birth.

Mrs. Dodd proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA that they celebrate a “father’s day.” She chose the 5th of June because it was her father’s birthday.

The idea received strong support, but the good ministers of Spokane asked that the day be changed to give them extra time to prepare sermons on the unexplored subject of fathers. The first Father’s Day in Spokane, Washington, was observed on June 19, 1910 (the third Sunday in June), and became an annual event there. Soon, other towns had their own celebrations.

From Local Celebration to National Holiday

In spite of widespread support, Father’s Day did not become a permanent national holiday for many years. The first bill was introduced in Congress in 1913, but in spite of encouragement by President Woodrow Wilson, it did not pass. In 1966, Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation designating the third Sunday in June to honor fathers.

Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a law declaring that Father’s Day be celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June. It has been an official, permanent national holiday ever since.”