Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October. This is a day for you to recognize that sweet and special someone. It doesn’t matter who that person is, they just have to be “sweet” in order to get a little recognition. The day is often celebrated with gifts of flowers, candy and cards. Many restaurants in the area offer Sweetest Day specials.
Herbert Birch Kingston, a philanthropist and candy company employee from Cleveland started Sweetest Day. He wanted to bring happiness to orphans, shut-ins and under-privileged. His intent was to show these people that they were not forgotten. The first Sweetest Day was on October 10, 1921.
In 1922, Kingston celebrated the holiday by giving candy and small gifts. He often used movie stars to distribute the gifts. Movie star Ann Pennington presented 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys with boxes of candy to express gratitude for their service to the public on the first Sweetest Day. Another popular movie star, Theda Bara, distributed 10,000 boxes of candy to people in Cleveland hospitals and also gave candy to all who came to watch her film in the local theater.
Over the years, Sweetest Day has evolved into a time to express romantic love and also to show appreciation to friends but it is encouraged to follow the intent of the original holiday, and find ways to give candy and small gifts to those in need. Spend some time with your sweetie this Saturday!
