Lots of people think Father’s Day is a holiday designed by greeting card companies to rake in cash. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The story behind how this day became a holiday is a tale of determination by one woman and a decades-long fight to get dads the recognition they deserve.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, It was May of 1909, when a woman named Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, heard a Mother’s Day sermon by Reverend Dr. Henry Rasmussen in her hometown church and thought a similar day should be set aside to honor fathers. Her own father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, raised six children as a single parent.
On June 6, 1910, Dodd approached the Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) with her petition outlining the idea for an annual observance, and she received overwhelming support. Spokane’s held its first Father’s Day celebration on Sunday, June 19, 1910, with moving speeches by her own pastor and those from other area churches.
To read the rest of the story on the history of Father’s Day, see the Farmer’s Almanac.
If you’re lucky enough to still have dear old dad in your life, show him how much you love him by taking him out to eat on Father’s Day. Lots of dads like being the grill master, even on Father’s Day, but you must insist dad take it easy and allow you to do all the work. Make a reservation at a good restaurant for Brunch, Lunch, or dinner.
Here are some of the best places in Monmouth & Ocean County to take dad and the family this Father’s Day, June 18,2023
