Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads in the Mohawk Valley!

Father’s Day is a special day recognizing dads and those that have served as father figures to many of us while growing up. My father taught me the value of working hard, the value of playing nice with the other kids, how to hunt and fish, ride a bike, use basic tools, and so many other small lessons along the way. To hear my own children say, “I got this from dad,” reminds me of my own lessons passed down to them. 

The First Father’s Day

The very first Father’s Day service was held in West Virginia in 1908 specifically honoring the fathers killed in the Monongah Mine Disaster. This was a one-time event and there was no interest in creating a national holiday similar to Mother’s Day.

The idea of honoring fathers happened in 1908 when Sonora Smart Dodd attended a church service and learned about the recently established holiday honoring mothers. Sonora held her father in great esteem, he was a Civil War veteran and raised 6 children all on his own. After learning at a church service about the newly established holiday honoring mothers, Sonora felt fatherhood needed recognition as well.

Thanks to Sonora’s efforts to get support for recognition of fathers, the very first Father’s Day was established June 19th, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. A few years later, President Woodrow Wilson sent a telegram from Washington DC to Spokane in honor of Father’s Day. Despite this presidential recognition, It was not until 1972, 52 years after the establishment of Mother’s Day, that Fathers Day was designated a national holiday.

So, whether you’re a dad, or have been like a dad to another, today’s for you. Happy Father’s Day.