The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

“The Mountaineer” asked Mayor Stiles to write something about President’s Day for our President’s Day issue of the paper.

Mayor Stiles wrote a great piece of history and hope that, unfortunately, got lost in cyber space for a week. Finally we retrieved it and it was too good not to include in the newspaper, even though it was not the President’s Day issue.

So, here it is. Thank you Mr. Mayor. You do credit to us all.

Presidents day

By Stephen Stiles

President’s Day which is still called “Washington’s Birthday by the federal government was traditionally celebrated February 22nd. That was the actual birthday of President Washington depending upon which calendar you were using at the time. Originally established in 1885 the holiday was moved as part of the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act which was an attempt to create more holiday weekends for the nation’s workers. Many states still have individual holidays for the birthdays of Washington, Lincoln, and other individuals. President’s Day is now viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present. Washington and Lincoln still remain the two most recognized leaders. Some communities and parks actually stage reenactments and pageants in their honor. The country’s largest President’s Day Parade is held annually in Alexandria, Virginia along the streets where George Washington once walked. Clearly most celebrations are in states where the presidents lived, but that does not prevent us from celebrating in some way. Something as simple as reflecting how great this country has become in its short history is amazing. If we had not had great leaders, could we or would we have survived through wars, depression, drought, disease and natural disasters. All our Presidents have had strengths as well as weaknesses that have continued to bring our country forward. However you decide to observe President’s Day, I hope you have a very enjoyable day.