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August 6:

August 6: National Root Beer Float Day

Story has it that in 1893, Frank Wisner, owner of the Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining company in Colorado, had been producing a line of soda waters for the citizens of the then-booming Cripple Creek gold mining district. He wanted to create a special drink that would appeal to the children as well.

The idea came to him while starring out at his property on Cow Mountain on a moonlit night. The full moon’s glow on the snow-capped Cow Mountain reminded him of a dollop of vanilla ice cream floating on top of this blackened Cow Mountain.

The next day, he began adding a big scoop of vanilla ice cream to one of the soda waters that he produced that the children seemed to like best – Myers Avenue Red Root Beer. The drink was an instant hit!

Originally named “Black Cow Mountain”, the local children shortened this to “black cow”.

As soda was marketed as a miracle cure, it was often considered a substance that required oversight and control much like alcohol and could not be served or purchased on Sundays in many conservative areas. Soda fountains had to figure out a way to turn a profit on that day. The solution was to serve ice cream on these days, coining the term Ice Cream Sundaes.

August 5:

August 5: Arlington National Cemetery

As war descended on Virginia, Robert E. Lee and his wife Mary fled their 1,100-acre Virginia estate, known as Arlington, which overlooked Washington, D.C.

In 1863 the U.S. government confiscated it for nonpayment of $92.07 in taxes.

Meanwhile, President Lincoln gave permission for a cemetery to be built on the property, including a burial vault on the estate’s former rose garden. The idea was that, should Lee ever return, he would “have to look at these graves and see the carnage that he had created,” according to his biographer Elizabeth Brown Pryor.

After the war, the Lees quietly looked into reclaiming Arlington but took no action before they died. In 1877 their oldest son, George Washington Custis Lee, sued the federal government for confiscating Arlington illegally; the Supreme Court agreed and gave it back to him. But what could the Lee family do with an estate littered with corpses? George Lee sold it back to the government for $150,000.

Over time, 250,000 soldiers would be buried in what is now Arlington National Cemetery.

Read other surprising facts about the Civil War at: http://www.history.com/news/10-surprising-civil-war-facts?cmpid=INT_Outbrain_HITH_HIS&obref=obnetwork

August 4:

August 4: Mannington District Fair August 6 - 11

Mark your calendar for the 80^thannual Mannington District Fair!

Go to http://www.manningtondistrictfair.org/index.html for a complete list of the week’s events and entertainment.

This year’s fair is dedicated to the memory of Jack D. Wilson (1932 – 2012) who proudly served on the Mannington District Fair Board of Directors for 50 years.

August 3:

August 3: Columbus Sets Sail

In 1492 Columbus said the ocean blue

From the Spanish port of Palos, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sets sail in command of three ships—the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina—on a journey to find a western sea route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

During his lifetime, Columbus led a total of four expeditions to the New World, discovering various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American mainland, but never accomplished his original goal—a western ocean route to the great cities of Asia.

Did you know that there is more to this school rhyme? Read it at http://www.mamalisa.com/blog/columbus-day-poem-in-1492-columbus-sailed-the-ocean-blue/

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/columbus-sets-sail

August 2:

August 2: Simplify Your Life Week

“Simplicity is the peak of civilization.” – Jessie Sampter

Modern life is fast paced, hectic, and demanding. But what burdens are you placing on yourself as a result of high expectations, standards and commitments? What if you could take a deep breath, step back, and make things a little less challenging?

Simplify Your Life Week promotes this attitude, and encourages you to turn things down a notch for your own benefit – stretch yourself, but make sure that you remember to relax and enjoy life in equal measures!

Need some help getting started?

Read 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life at http://zenhabits.net/simple-living-manifesto-72-ideas-to-simplify-your-life/

Additional self-help options can be found at: http://www.simplifylife.com/

“High-Five” to Simplifying…

Everyone asks me, “How can I simply my life?” Well… it’s easier than you think. Using my experience as a professional organizer of six years, a mom for ten years, and a woman for forty-(something) years, here are my top five answers…AND yes, they really work!

1. Stop buying so much stuff. Yes, it is that simple. Do not bring it into your home. Live your life with less.

2. The Top Three. Ask yourself these 3 questions:

a. “Do I NEED it?”

b. “Do I WANT it?”

c. Can I live without it?

3. One In, One-Out Rule. If you bring one thing in, something else must go out of the house.

4. Donate. Donate. Donate. Someone else NEEDS or WANTS the things that you are not using.

5. Plan—the night before. Have everything lined up and ready to go. Mornings will go so much more smoothly.

Julie Mills, consultant, author, and speaker is founder and owner of All Squared Away, a professional organizing company, based in Morgantown, WV. All Squared Away specializes in business and residential clients’ organizational dilemmas. Her unique services and presentations are highly sought after throughout the Mountain State. For more information, visit www.allsquaredaway.com, call # 304-698-2929, or send an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

August 1:

August 1: National Golf Month

Golf can be traced back to early Rome during the reign of Caesar. The Romans used a club-shaped branch to strike a feather-stuffed ball into a hole. It wasn't until the 16th century that golf was established in Scotland. According to one legend, the first games of golf were played by shepherds tending to their sheep near St. Andrews. The shepherds would hit round rocks into rabbit holes with wooden crooks. Great Britain adopted golf into its culture in the 17th century, and in 1860 the first British Open was played. It wasn't unit the late 1800s that golf was established in the United States.

Golf gained popularity in the United States in 1888 when John Reid of Scotland formed the St. Andrews Club of Yonkers in New York. The success of the Yonkers Club helped establish golf as a national pastime in the United States. Other notable golf clubs established during the late 1800s were Shinnecock Hills of Long Island and the Chicago Golf Club, which was the first 18-hole course in the United States.

Locally, golfing opportunities include Apple Valley Country Club, Fairmont Field Club, Green Hills Country Club and Whitehall Driving Range.

If you are looking for something that is a little more low-key, try your luck at Coal Country Miniature Golf Course.

July 31:

July 31: National Cotton Candy Day

In 1897, William Morrison and John C. Warton, candy makers from Nashville, Tennessee, invented a device that heated sugar in a spinning bowl that had tiny holes in it. As the bowl spun around, the caramelized sugar was forced through the tiny holes, making a treat that they originally called "Fairy Floss."

Two years later this invention was patented. Fairy Floss made its claim to fame, when it was introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Guest paid a whopping 25 cents a bag. It wasn't until 1920 that this treat renamed cotton candy.

Do you know when the phrase "under God" was inserted into the pledge of allegiance?

Originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942. The Pledge has been modified four times since its composition, with the most recent change adding the words "under God" in 1954.