Saturday, March 28, 2020

March 28 - National Something On A Stick Day


Happy National Something On A Stick Day! Observed each year on March 28, today is a food holiday that lets you use your creative talents. Once you get started, the possibilities are endless. Foods that come on a stick are fun and easy to eat. 

There isn’t much that can’t be put on a stick when talking about food. Soup might be that one exception, though if it were flavorful frozen, we might make an exception. 

From cool summer treats like the Popsicle to frozen food staples like the corn dog, food on a stick is one of the world’s great inventions. Fresh fruit kabobs and skewers of grilled veggies and meat are both summer favorites. 

Street fairs and food trucks have created a variety of recipes made to go on a stick that takes us from breakfast to after-party hunger with flavor combinations that sometimes make us wonder why we haven’t tried that before!   

Whether it is fresh and healthy or breaded and deep-fried, menu choices are broad and plentiful for National Something on a Stick Day. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Get inventive and create your own combination. How about grilled pear on a stick? Or perhaps meat and cheese squares or brownie and marshmallows bites? Have a creative breakfast, lunch or dinner and have fun with the day!!  

Families, while this day is primarily a food holiday, the classroom offers a project that’s both creative and inventive. It combines Something on a Stick Day and National Pencil Day together by making a pinwheel. 

Other ways to incorporate this day into your activities include: 

  • • Master eating with chopsticks. 
  • • Serve each meal on a stick. French toast for breakfast? Serve it cut up on toothpicks. Salad for lunch? Slide all the fixings on a skewer. The same goes for supper. Be creative and involve the whole family in the planning. Just don’t serve soup. 
  • • Challenge the family to create a name for as many foods on a stick as possible. 
Use #SomethingOnAStickDay to post on social media. 

HISTORY 

The research by National Day Calendar® was unable to find the origin and the creator of National Something On A Stick Day. 

#SomethingOnAstickDay 
@nichecinema 

March 28 - World Piano Day


Happy World Piano Day! Every year on March 28, today unites piano lovers across the globe as they celebrate the “king of musical instruments.” 

The day also encourages piano players of all ages and abilities to play in public spaces. 

Musical instruments are grouped together in families. It’s relatively easy to determine what family most instruments belong. This is not the case with the piano, however.  

Some say it’s a percussion instrument. Others say it belongs to the string family. Many would say the piano is unique in that it belongs to both families. 

In 1700, Italian maker of musical instruments Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano in 1700. It was first called “clavicembalo col piano e forte.”  

This can be translated to “a harpsichord that can play soft and loud noises.” Eventually, its name was shortened to piano. 

Throughout the years, the piano went from one basic style to many different kinds. 

These include vertical, spinet, console, studio, upright, digital, pianola (self-playing piano), grand, and baby grand. These types of pianos come in a variety of different sizes. 

Most people play the piano because it’s fun, and they love the sound it makes. However, there are also many other benefits to playing the piano.  

Some of these benefits include the following: 

  • • It’s a great way to learn how to read music. 
  • • It sharpens fine motor skills and improves hand-eye coordination. 
  • • It boosts cognitive and intellectual abilities, including improved memory. 
  • • It’s great for mental health, as those who play the piano experience less depression and anxiety. 

With so many benefits of playing the piano, today is a great day to sign your kids up for piano lessons, or take them yourself! 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

To celebrate this musical day, pianists give free concerts featuring piano music. Other people that take part in this day include composers, performers, piano movers, tuners, and piano builders.  

There are also many ways for you to participate: 

  • • Commit to taking piano lessons. 
  • • Thank a piano teacher. 
  • • If you are a pianist, gather your courage and play the piano in a public space. 
  • • If you took piano lessons as a child, think about reviving your skills. 
  • • Attend a piano concert. 
  • • Listen to piano music online. 

Learn about the best pianists of all time, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Russian-born American classical pianist and composer Vladimir Horowitz, English pianist Myra Hess, and Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang. 

In 2015, the German musician, composer, and record producer Nils Frahm, founded World Piano Day. He chose the date of March 28, because it is the eighty-eighth day of the year. The piano has eighty-eight keys. 

To help spread awareness for this day, use #WorldPianoDay on social media. 
  
#WorldPianoDay
#WorthTheTreble 
@steinway 
@YamahaPianosOfficial 
@FaziloliPianos 
@Boesendorferofficial 
@masonhamlin 
@Brodmannpianosusa 
@SeilerPianosUSA 
@Baldwinpianocompany 
@BechsteinPianos 
@KawaiPianosUS 
@bluthnerpianocentre 
@estoniapianos 
@stiuartandsons 
@YoungChangWeberPianos 
@nichecinema