Shelburne Camping Area

09/03/2026

Skyscraper Day is held annually on September 3. Celebrate this unofficial holiday by climbing or taking the elevator/lift up a skyscraper and by acknowledging the architectural and engineering feats that make such buildings possible.

The holiday, which has unknown origins, encourages people to learn more about the science and art of building skyscrapers.

40 Floors
Skyscrapers are very tall buildings that define a city's skyline. The term originates in the United States in the late 1880s during the building boom in Chicago and New York. At this time, buildings that had more floors than the surrounding buildings were called skyscrapers. These days, buildings that have have at least 40 or more floors are designated as skyscrapers.

Three Height Criteria
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international organization of civil engineers and architects based in Chicago, U.S. is an authority on the official heights of tall buildings and determines which building receives the title of the Tallest Building in the World. The Council ranks the heights of buildings based on three criteria: the height of building from the lowest level to the architectural top, excluding antennae and flagpoles; the highest occupied floor; and from the lowest level to the highest level, including antennae and flagpoles.

How to Celebrate?
Go up a skyscraper and take in the views from the top floor. Many skyscrapers have restaurants or cafes at their top floors - why not have a meal there while enjoying your city’s landscape?
Learn more about the science and engineering behind these architectural marvels.
Make your own skyscraper city using toy blocks or other materials.

Did You Know.....that in Hong Kong tall buildings do not have a floor numbered 13 or any floors that have a 4 in its number. This is because the numbers 13 and 4 are culturally seen as unlucky numbers.

09/02/2026

On September 2 celebrate the 200th anniversary of any imaginary character of your choosing because it is Bison-Ten-Yell Day.

Don't get it? It has nothing to do with bisons except for the name. Read Bison-Ten-Yell Day out fast and it sounds like bicentennial day. The origins of this unofficial day are unknown.

How to Celebrate?
If you need an excuse for a celebration, today is it. Make up a character or happy event and celebrate its bicentennial on this day. You could even make up a story around the character and have a contest among your guests - whoever comes up with the best and the most historically correct story will win!
Since the day has bison in its name, what about spending some time to learn about bisons and their environment?

Did You Know…
…that despite their size, bisons can run very fast? They can gain speeds up to 65 km/h (40 mph).

09/01/2026

September 1 is No Rhyme or Reason Day. The unofficial holiday is dedicated to the English language idiom, no rhyme or reason, which means something that occurs without any purpose or explanation.

The idiom is thought to have first found its way in the English language through the 1460 book The Boke of Nurture by John Russell, though it is most famous for its appearance in the 1590 Shakespearean play Comedy of Errors. It once again showed up in Shakespeare's 1600 play, As You Like It.

The holiday is also known in the United States as National No Rhyme or Reason Day or National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day.

How to Celebrate?
Do you need a rhyme or a reason to celebrate this fun holiday? Here are some ways you can honor this expression:
What about celebrating this holiday by tapping into your creative side? Spend the day writing free verse - poetry without any rhyme.
Have a no rhyming contest with a friend or a co-worker. Find words that do not rhyme with anything else. Whoever finds the most words wins a copy of a thesaurus or a dictionary!
Do something nice for someone for no rhyme or reason. Sometimes the most generous gestures are the ones that are undertaken without any cause or purpose.

Did You Know.....that in literature and poetry, words that are spelled similarly but pronounced differently are called eye rhymes?

08/31/2026

August 31 is Eat Outside Day. So, pack up a lunch, head on over to the park and commune with nature while you eat your meal under the Sun.

This unofficial holiday of unknown origins encourages eating outside as an excuse for people to go outdoors and take in some fresh air and enjoy some time under the Sun.
The day is also known as Eat Outdoors Day or National Eat Outside Day in the US.

How to Celebrate?
Pack up a picnic lunch and enjoy it with family and friends in the park.
Grill outside in the yard or take a portable grill to the park.
If you usually have lunch at your desk at work, what about going out for your lunch break and having your meal under the Sun?

Did You Know…
…that picnics began as a meal break for hunters while hunting?

08/30/2026

August 30 is Frankenstein Day. The unofficial holiday celebrates the life and times of English author Mary Shelley who wrote one of the word’s most read monster novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.

Born on August 30, 1797, Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818 anonymously at the young age of 22.

Early Science Fiction
Considered to be a predecessor of modern day science fiction, Frankenstein recounts the story of scientist Victor Frankenstein and his experiment that ends with the creation of a human-like creature. In the novel, the creature who is hated and rejected by everyone due to its appearance does not have a name. In popular culture, however, it is mistakenly referred to as Frankenstein after its creator.
Although everyone in the novel believes him to be a monster, he is also an intelligent and emotional being who is looking to be accepted by others.

The holiday is also known as National Frankenstein Day.

How to Celebrate?
Fan of the macabre, the strange, and the scary? Here are some ways you can celebrate this literary holiday:
Pick up a copy of the book and spend the day reading it.
Watch the many TV and film adaptations of the book.
Halloween may be 2 months away, but that doesn't mean you can't celebrate Frankenstein Day by hosting a Frankenstein themed party. Decorate your venue as a lab, serve green colored food, and bake a cake with Frankenstein's face on it. Think of this as a dress rehearsal for your Halloween party!
Frankenstein isn't Mary Shelley's only literary work. She wrote a number of short stories, travelogues, historical novels, and even a novel, The Last Man that depicted a apocalyptical world. Honor her by reading one of her works.

Did You Know…
…that a similar holiday called Frankenstein Friday is celebrated every year on the last Friday in October?

08/29/2026

On August 29, honor expertise, authority, and the rules because it is According to Hoyle Day. Named after the English language phrase, according to Hoyle, the unofficial holiday celebrates the life and times of Englishman Edmond Hoyle, who died on this day in 1769.

A lawyer by trade, Edmond Hoyle is best known for publishing books detailing the rules and regulations of many popular card and board games of his time, including chess and backgammon. He is also known for writing an authoritative pamphlet on the card game of Whist.

Game of Skills
Whist is a trick card game played by two teams of two players each. The card game evolved from a previous game called Ruff and Honors and is the predecessor of Bridge. Popular in the 18th and the 19th century, the game required mathematical and logical skills.

Appeal to Authority
The phrase according to Hoyle came from the authoritative books Hoyle wrote on the rules and regulations of games. When people played these games and made a play that was questioned, they could invoke Hoyle's rules by saying “according to Hoyle...”. Today, the phrase is used generally to suggest expertise or the highest authority on a subject matter.

How to Celebrate?
Play a game of Whist by following Hoyle's rules. Don't know how? Today is a good excuse to learn!
Are you an expert on a subject? Why not spend the day jotting your thought about the subject?

Did You Know…
…the word Whist comes from whisk, from whisking or moving the cards during the game?

08/28/2026

August 28 is Bow Tie Day, an annual holiday that celebrates the elegant fashion accessory usually worn by men at formal occasions.

A type of necktie, the bow tie became a part of a fashionable man's wardrobe in the early 19th century. It is believed that tie evolved from another type of male neckwear called the cravat. The cravat originated in Croatia in the 17th century as a band of cloth that was wrapped around the neck and was possibly worn as a way for soldiers to close the fronts of their shirts or to hide any stains on the front of their shirts. By the 18th century, the cravat had become popular among fashionable circles in France and Europe.

No Longer Formal Wear
In the early days, the bow tie was specifically reserved for formal occasions. Black tie attire became a term synonymous with tuxedos worn with black bow ties. Outside of formal events, bow ties gained a reputation of being associated with stodgy intellectualism, thought to be worn by people who did not care much about what others thought of them. In recent years, bow ties have become cool again. Today, they are part of the daily attire of many men and women.

How to Celebrate?
If you have never worn a bow tie before, today is the day to procure one and spend some time learning how to tie it.
Host a bow tie party. Decorate the venue with bow ties and require all your guests to come wearing a bow tie. Serve cookies and cakes in the shape of bows and give out bow ties as favors or prizes for party games.
Do you have a creative side? Why not then hand knit, crochet, or sew your own unique bow tie to wear to your next event?

Did You Know…
…that a very fashionable person is known as a clotheshorse?

08/27/2026

The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day on August 27 celebrates the life, times and works of Irish author Margaret Wolfe Hungerford.

Born in 1855, Hungerford wrote anonymously under the pen name, The Duchess. She is most well known for her book Molly Bawn.
It is unclear why August 27 was chosen by the unknown creators of this unofficial holidays to honor Hungerford, but some people speculate that the day is called the Duchess Who Wasn’t Day because of the anonymity in which Hungerford spent her life as a writer.

Anonymous Female Writers
History is full of women writers who spent their lives writing and publishing books and novels anonymously. This was because in the past, it was believed that women could not write. Books published under a female name were either rejected for publication or did not do well in the bookstores. This forced talented writers like Hungerford to publish under pen names or male sounding names.
Some examples of now famous authors who wrote under pseudonyms because they were women are: the Brontë sisters, who wrote under the names Currer Bell (Charlotte), Ellis Bell (Emily), and Acton Bell (Anne); Jane Austen, who wrote as The Lady; and Mary Ann Evans, who wrote Middlemarch as George Elliot. The Dutchess Who Wasn't Day also celebrates these and many other women authors who were unable to be themselves because of societal constraints.

How to Celebrate?
Celebrate the day by reading some of Hungerford’s work. In addition to Molly Bawn, her other works include A Little Rebel, Phyllis and Faith and Unfaith.
Read books by other anonymous women authors and read about their lives as women trying to break societal expectations of what they could and could not do.

Did You Know.....that Hungerford is attributed for making the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” famous?

08/27/2026

https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/travel/2026/08/27/best-fall-foliage-burlington-vermont/91453364007/

Here's what you need to know about the best Vermont city to peep leaves in.

08/26/2026

August 26 is Dog Day or Dog Appreciation Day, a day to appreciate your best friend on four legs.

Founded in 2004 by pet and family lifestyle expert and animal behaviorist Colleen Paige, the day honors dogs for all that they do to enrich our lives and communities. The holiday also aims to raise awareness about dog adoption and the importance of providing rescue dogs with a safe and loving environment.

Man's Best Friend
Often known as man's best friend, dogs were the first animals to be domesticated by humans and they were often used for guarding property, herding stock, and for hunting game. Today, dogs are used as companions and are considered to be a member of the family in many parts of the world.
The unofficial holiday is also sometimes called World Dog Day, National Dog Appreciation Day, or International Dog Day.

How to Celebrate?
Adopt a dog and give it a loving home.
If you have a dog, treat them with their favorite treats.
If you are unable to have a dog in your family, celebrate the day by donating your time and money to the local animal and dog shelter.

Did You Know…
…that Dalmatians are born without any spots? Their characteristic spots appear as they grow older.