Thanks Dad!

Happy Father’s Day!

We all know that if it wasn’t for our fathers, we wouldn’t be walking this green earth today. That’s just the reason why Stikii wanted to give an extra special shout out to all the dads in the world on their annual appreciation day. Dads – we appreciate you! If not for you, there would be no pint-sized feet for which to place Stikiis on!

Father’s Day dates back to the early 1900s – 1910 to be exact. It was this year that the governor of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day”. However, it was not until 1972 (58 years after Mother’s Day became an official holiday) that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States.

Many say that Mother’s Day was the inspiration for a separate holiday recognizing fathers. But the campaign to celebrate Father’s Day was not met with the same enthusiasm, possibly due to the observation that “fathers do not have the same sentimental appeal that mothers have”. In a West Virginia church, on July 5, 1908, the first event explicitly honoring fathers was held. It was a Sunday sermon honoring the memory of some 362 men who had died in a recent coal mining explosion. The next year, in Spokane, WA, a woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd (one of six children raised by a widower) set out to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. Her campaign led to the nation’s first state wide Father’s Day celebration in 1910.

After this, the idea began to slowly take shape across the USA. President Wilson honored the day in 1916 by administering telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane. In 1924, President Coolidge urged state officials to observe Father’s Day.  For some reason many men tried to dismiss the day, claiming that the holiday’s sentimental characteristics were out to “domesticate” manliness.

During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement to do away with Mother’s and Father’s Day arose. The mission of this movement was to combine the day into a “Parent’s Day”, recognizing both parents on a single holiday. Once the Great Depression hit, this movement was derailed. Retailers and advertisers pressed to make Father’s Day a sort-of “second Christmas” for men. As World War II began, they convinced the public that the holiday was a way to honor American Troops and support the war effort. By the time the war was over, the celebration was a national institution! Finally, President Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday in 1972. Since then, economists estimate that Americans spend upwards of $1 billion each year on Father’s Day.

 

No sure what to get the father and/or father figure in your life this year? Here is a list of some of the top gifts around:

  1. New wallet
  2. Tickets to a sporting event (get a couple so you can go too!)
  3. Gift card for a round of golf at a local course
  4. Barbeque tools/spices
  5. New shirt and tie
  6. Cologne
  7. Outdoor/camping gear
  8. The latest DVD
  9. Watch
  10. Or for the man who has everything…..a sentimental card showing your appreciation!

Traditionally, Father’s Day activities include outdoor barbeques/cookouts, picnics, eating out, and attending sporting events. Thanks to Reader’s Digest, here are is a list of fun Father’s Day activities to plan with you and that special guy who has done so much for you!

  1. Fishing
  2. Paintball
  3. Volunteer together – give back with the man who has given so much to you!
  4. Spa day
  5. Archives Tour – for the guy who loves history!
  6. Attend a battle reenactment
  7. Go to a car show
  8. Go shopping!
  9. Take a cooking class
  10. Outdoor Music Festival – it’s Woodstock all over again!

 

No matter what you do on Father’s Day, just be sure to spend some quality time with that dad of yours. Might we suggest heading on in to the Stikii Showroom and trying on a couple pairs of Stikiis? Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there, you truly make the world go ‘round!

 

We would also like to wish Joe Chew, Stikii’s creator, a very special Happy Father’s day from his children, Ranen and Renee, the inspirations for the shoes.