My County’s American History Fair 2022

Jillian here. Happy February!

I was lucky enough to be part of the judging for the American History Fair in my county this year again. There were fewer entries which made me sad, but the students work really hard and it definitely shows. Some are in middle school and some in high school. This year’s theme was diplomacy and debate. I’m sharing a sampling of the displays I liked the most.

I wasn’t really sure what the La Belle Epoque one had to do with diplomacy or debate, but it was very visually appealing. I can’t recall what the paper the students had to provide with their display said, but I liked the board. LOL

Hoping everyone has a great month and stays warm– it’s even cold here where I am- 30s Fahrenheit in the nights and into daytime. Brr!

History Fair

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Jillian here. Happy February. I, for one, was happy to see January leave. I literally was sick the entire month. Kept the cough until February 5, but at least wasn’t sick. Today, I had the privilege of being part of … Continue reading →

Good Bye to Summer 2017 in the Pacific Northwest

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I’m writing and scheduling this blog early so by the time it goes live the weather might be back to normal temperatures. Or at least I’m hoping they will, this year as been something else. Our normal weather for this … Continue reading →

Fashion, Fairs and Fantasies…

Every November one of my dearest friends organises a charity craft fair and fashion show where everything sold is fair-trade. Each year Denise manages to exceed the previous year’s ‘takings’ which is no mean feat considering that here in the UK there are many bigger charities vying for people’s money at this time of year! But to all of us who know her, that is no big surprise. She has this ability to, shall we say, persuade people (and I mean that in the nicest way) into getting involved.

And so it was that I found myself agreeing to model in the fashion show again. Well it’s such a good cause and as I’ve done it for several years now you’d think I’d be used to it. But I’m not really one for the limelight, much preferring to work behind the scenes, but Denise being Denise there I was stepping onto the boards again. What is even scarier than looking down at dozens of pairs of eyes directed on you is the fact that each year I seem to be slipping into ever larger sizes. I have this little fantasy that the mirrors are those distorted kinds that make you look bigger than you actually are, but sadly my self-deception was short-lived. This year I treated myself to one of the tunic dresses I modelled as it felt extremely comfortable and I thought it hid a multitude of sins. Alas, I bought it before I saw this photo, and they say the camera never lies! AJ said it wasn’t the most flattering thing he’d ever seen me in, and perhaps I could wear it a couple of times and then donate it to a charity shop. He would have laughed on the other side of his face if he knew how much I’d paid for it!

On a happier note, I managed to get some Christmas shopping done. There were amazing things on offer – handicrafts, jewellery, food, bags, cards, notebooks- all so very refreshing from the mass-produced goods to be found in the stores and the proceeds going toward such good causes. It’s a happier shopping experience than fighting around the crowded shops. One of the stalls really caught my attention (and everyone else’s).

This wonderful lady was selling absolutely stunning hand-made jewellery from Uganda for the Fingertips charity and shoppers were gravitating toward her special blend of energy and the gorgeous products all day.

I wish I could have taken more photographs, but the day tends to go by in a whirl of activity. But then there’s always next year … no doubt I’ll get ‘persuaded’ again.

Cloudy With A Chance of “Rain Day” by Valerie J. Patterson

Rain Day statue in borough park

According to the rain record, it’s rained on July 29^th 113 of the last 138 years in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.  Now, this may seem an odd thing for someone to track, but in Greene County, we celebrate the fact that one local farmer made a comment to William Allison, a local pharmacist back in the late 1800s, that it always seemed to rain on July 29^th.  Mr. Allison and his brother Albert kept a record of the rainfall until the 1920s when Bryon Daily took over the recordkeeping.  Today, we close off High Street, the main thoroughfare through uptown—we have no “downtown” as you must go up a hill to get to downtown Waynesburg —and we have an old fashioned street fair.  The center of the festival takes place on the courthouse steps.  This tradition began in 1979, and Rain Day is the only celebrated holiday in the world that is not a success unless it rains!!

Greene County Courthouse

1939 marks the earliest record of the notorious “Hat Bet” when celebrities—the likes of which include Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, The Three Stooges, Johnny Carson, Willard Scott, Harry Anderson, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Fran Drescher, Jay Leno, and the Dixie Chicks, just to name a few—wagered their hats against our rain!  The hats won from the multitude of celebrities who lost their wagers are on display here while others were auctioned off in order to raise funds to begin a hospice care in the 1980s.

High Street

Rain Day festivities include the Miss Rain Day Pageant, comedy and musical entertainment, face painting, food booths, the Texaco Country Showdown, umbrella decorating competition, turtle racing, bubble gum bubble blowing competition, and the Company K Salute.

High Street, 2

The Company K Salute commemorates the courageous Greene County men of Company K, 2^nd Battalion, 110^th Infantry.  The Rain Day festivities are stilled each year and a moment of silence is given in honor of those brave men of Company K.  Nearly half their 250 men were either killed or wounded in France during World War I on Rain Day, July 29, 1918.  The late John O’Hara, a local newsman, is often quoted for having once written, “On that Rain Day in 1918, it rained bullets on the men of Company K.”

Young or old, the people come out to celebrate and hope it pours!

If you’d like to know more about Rain Day, navigate the Rain Day website, which can be found at: Rain Day

If you’re going to be in the area and would like to enter your turtle in the race, just come on over…but you might want to bring your umbrella!

Until next time…may the rain in your life always be a cool summer shower and a cause for celebration!!