Author: Lisa Mungovan

Have you seen the Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles? It’s a 22-foot-tall statue of a boy with a chicken head, holding a bucket of chicken. Chicken Boy was built in the 19 60’s, and today’s his birthday! It’s also Emma M Nutt Day. In 18 78, she became the first female telephone operator.

Today is World Letter Writing Day. E-mail is easier, but there’s nothing like getting an actual letter in the mailbox, complete with a cool stamp. Write a letter about your summer, your first week at school, or your awesome orange cat. It’s also Ginger Cat Appreciation Day! Give your orange kitty some extra love!

In the United States and Canada, the first Monday in September is the holiday called Labor Day. It was first created by trade unions to celebrate workers. Labor Day is also the unofficial end of summer, as most public pools close after this weekend. They’ll see you again next May!

72 years ago, Alan Ball sent a postcard to his parents while visiting New York. The postcard recently arrived at the Ottawa Post Office, and the postmaster took on the challenge of returning it to its sender. Alan, now 88 and living in Idaho, recognized his handwriting, but didn’t remember sending the card.

A rare species of bird called the Socorro dove, has some new members. The Chester Zoo in England, welcomed 8 chicks, called squabs. Socorro doves have been extinct in the wild since 1972, but conservation breeding programs have brought the captive population up to 200. The zoo hopes more eggs are on the way.

A semi truck overturned on a Colorado highway, spilling its load of sweet corn. The vegetables have been cleared off the road, but instead of getting another truck to deliver them, the undamaged corn is being offered to the public for free. Any leftover remnants beside the road, will be enjoyed by deer.

Do you own a pair of Crocs? People seem to either love or hate the colorful rubber clogs, but Doogie Lish Sandtiger loves them most of all. He’s got the biggest collection of Crocs in the world, featuring more than 3,800 different pairs. He hopes to show off his comfy collection someday, in a Crocseum.

Today is Trail Mix Day. That means you can take the last of all your bags of pretzels, peanuts, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and whatever else you like, and mix them together. Then go for a long hike and eat your snack for energy, because it’s Eat Outside Day. Don’t worry about crumbs.

International Whale Shark Day celebrates the biggest fish in the world. It’s not a whale, but it’s nearly as big! Whale sharks can reach 41 feet long. They eat tiny plankton, and have to travel great distances in tropical waters, to find enough to feed their giant bodies. Their teeth are only 6 millimeters long!

In 1860, before the United States Postal Service delivered to the wild west, there was the Pony Express. A chain of horses and riders, carried mail across vast stretches of land to deliver the mail. Today is Pony Express Day! Don’t forget, Crayon Collection Month is nearly over. How many crayons do you have?