When is Father’s Day 2024? How can you celebrate dad in Florida?
Father's Day is coming up in June, leaving many of us scrambling to figure out something dad would like, especially those who say they don't need anything.
There's only so many ties any one person needs, and in Florida ... well as we start setting heat records in May, you get the picture.
First, when is Father's Day and just how did it get started? And then we'll offer a few suggestions on what you can do with dad here in Florida.
When is Father's Day 2024?
Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. Father's Day 2024 will be Sunday, June 16.
Is Father's Day a federal holiday?
Sorry, no. Father's Day is not one of the 11 federal holidays. Anything normally open on Sunday will be open, including stores, restaurants and golf courses.
When did Father's Day become an official holiday?
In 1972, Father's Day became a national holiday under President Nixon.
Father's Day arrived decades after Mother's Day, which was officially recognized in 1914.
When was the first Father's Day celebration?
The first known Father's Day service was in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, after hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U.S. history.
Grace Golden Clayton, proposed a service to honor all fathers, especially those who had died. The observance didn't become an annual event, and very few people outside of the local area knew about it, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Across the country, in Spokane, Washington, Sonora Smart Dodd, came up with the idea to honor fathers while she attended a Mother's Day service in 1909. Dodd and her five brothers were raised by their father after his wife died in childbirth.
Dodd convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association to set aside a Sunday in June to celebrate fathers. On June 19, 1910, the first Father's Day events were held. "Those widely publicized events struck a chord that reached all the way to Washington, D.C.," according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Why did it take so long to have a Father's Day?
Men in the early 1900s associated "found the idea too effeminate to their liking," according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson called Mother’s Day a way to recognize “that tender, gentle army — the mothers of America.”
American historian Timothy Marr wrote in American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia, fathers “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products — often paid for by the father himself.”
Timeline toward making Father's day a national holiday, as provided by the Old Farmer's Almanac:
Bill was introduced in Congress in 1913. In spite of encouragement from President Woodrow Wilson, it did not pass.
Eight years later, President Calvin Coolidge signs a resolution in favor of Father’s Day “to establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations.”
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signs an executive order to celebrate the holiday on the third Sunday in June.
Under President Richard Nixon, in 1972, Congress passes an act officially making Father’s Day a national holiday.
Why do we celebrate Father's Day?
In his proclamation, Nixon said "To have a father — to be a father — is to come very near the heart of life itself.
"Let each American make this Father's Day an occasion for renewal of the love and gratitude we bear to our fathers, increasing and enduring through all the years."
Father's Day becomes a day to celebrate what dad likes to do
As the idea of fatherhood changed over the decades, Father's Day has become more of a day that celebrates what dad — and father figures — like to do.
Father's Day ideas to enjoy in Florida
VisitCentralFlorida offered several suggestions to enjoy with dad in June, and most can be enjoyed almost anywhere in the Sunshine State.
Go fishing.
Rent a kayak, or a boat if you don't have one.
Take an airboat ride.
Visit an attraction or resort.
Take a hike, go bird watching or search for wildlife at one of Florida's 175 state parks.
Go to a baseball game.
Visit a local brewery or even a beach bar.
Enjoy a bike ride.
Visit a favorite restaurant for brunch. Make it a waterfront restaurant and enjoy the view with your meal.
'Dad, How do I' YouTube channel celebrates 4 years
Rob Kenney uses YouTube to give viewers how-to videos, heartfelt chats and lots of dad jokes. The mission of the channel, called "Dad, How Do I," is that of encouraging and empowering people," Kenney said.
The channel is now celebrating its fourth anniversary and has more than 4.8 million subscribers.
Looking for some Father's Day gift ideas?
Reviewed's gifting experts test and collect gift ideas for Dad all year. See their top reviewed, favorite gifts for any father figure.
"Whether your dad plays golf, would rather be fishing or is obsessed with the latest tech gear, there's a cool gift for him in this gift guide for any type of dad, father-in-law, grandpa or any other special father figure in your life."
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: When is Father’s Day 2024? How to celebrate Florida style. History
