My fourth grade teacher at St. Agnes school in Phoenix must have been a Broadway director wannabe. We did two big plays that year. The first was
A Christmas Carol (I played the Ghost of Christmas Past, garbed in my dad’s forest green terry robe. It came to his knees, but dragged the floor past my ankles.) I don’t recall the name of the second play (for all I know, Mrs. Kase had us acting in her own magnum opus), but it was about all the characters we celebrate during the month of February. (So how is it that Punxsutawney Phil – come on, admit it, no matter how dapper he may be, he’s a rodent – gets his own day and Web site, while two of our greatest Presidents share one day??)
Groundhog
Abe Lincoln
George Washington
Susan B. Anthony
St. Valentine
With such a tiny starring cast, I was fortunate enough to move up from the small speaking part of the GoCP to land the role of the great Suffragette herself. I remember next to nothing about the role, except for the fact that her “Day” was February 15. For my costume, we managed to find a high-collared off-white dress at Goodwill that we dyed a pukey shade of green with the ever-handy, always popular Rit Dye.
I also remember being pretty jazzed when the SBA coins came out in 1979 (6th/7th grade) and bummed when they failed, confusing people because they looked too much like quarters.
With my role in the play, I also became a confirmed, lifelong fan of the Groundhog. Not the movie bearing his name, mind you. Sure, it was OK the first time, but not unlike Phil Connors’ experience in the movie, it only grows more and more tedious with each progressive screening.
Apparently there are other Groundhog fans … as I actually managed to track down a photo of a Groundhog stocking! You can purchase the materials (instructions for $4/$5, the linen for $15.50, charms for approx. $20/package, and thread for $20-$25) for this baby at The Silver Needle – and if you get started now, it might be done in time for Feb. 2, 2010.
Just in case you’re not a fourth grade teacher and want to know what other holidays are coming up this month, here’s a calendar for you, courtesy of The Teacher’s Corner.
February 2009
1 National Freedom Day
Langston Hughes born
Robinson Crusoe Day
First meeting of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1790
2 Bottle Cap patented
Groundhog Day
3 Elizabeth Blackwell (first female doctor) born
Elmo’s Birthday (Sesame Street character)
Vietnam War ended, 1973
4 Charles Lindbergh born, 1902
Rosa Parks born, 1913
Hank Aaron born, 1934
6 Babe Ruth born, 1895
Monopoly board game hit stores, 1935
7 Charles Dickens born, 1812
Laura Ingalls Wilder born, 1867
8 Boy Scouts founded, 1910
Author Jules Verne born, 1828
9 Hershey’s Chocolate founded, 1894
National Weather Service established, 1870
Toothache Day
10 Umbrella Day
Ratification of the 25th Amendment, Presidential Succession, 1967
11 Thomas Edison born, 1847
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
12 Author Judy Blume born, 1938
Abraham Lincoln 16th President born, 1809
First Barbie Dolls for sale
First Public School established, 1635
15 National Gumdrop Day
King Tut’s Burial Chamber opened, 1923
17 Random Acts of Kindness Day
National P.T.A. Founder’s Day, 1897
18 Former planet, Pluto, discovered by Clyde Tombaugh, 1930
19 Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood debuted, 1968
20 John Glenn first person to orbit the Earth, 1962
Toothpick patented, 1872
Love Your Pet Day
21 Polaroid ‘Land’ Camera first introduced by Edwin Land, 1947
22 George Washington born, 1732
Be Humble Day
World Thinking Day
23 International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
U.S. Flag raised at Iwo Jima, 1945
24 Mardi Gras – always 47 days before Easter; also known as Fat Tuesday
25 Quiet Day
Artist Pierre Auguste Renoir born, 1841
26 Levi Strauss born, 1829
27 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born, 1807
Author John Steinbeck born, 1902
28 Public Sleeping Day
There’s a DJ on 
By the Chimney With Care 