Several years ago while I was a successful practicing attorney, I was looking through the morning newspaper. Yes, we still had one on home delivery in those days.

It was late in the month of January. I noticed there was an announcement for an upcoming sale for sheets and linens for Presidents Day. Later in the paper was an add for amazing sales on Ford automobiles at the local dealer. Likewise there were adds for specials for meals in honor of Presidents Day. But nowhere did I notice any local events, parades, or feasts being held in honor of either George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.

When I went into my law office later that morning, I made a comment about these findings to my para-legal. She said: “Well, Dad, why don’t you do something?” Why don’t I do something? I had written a book about the Founding Fathers, and so I knew something about them and I had an idea about what we could do to honor them.

That morning, I called a client of mine who was then the President of the Arizona Bar-b-que Association. I told him I was just thinking of having a little get-together for Presidents Day and I wondered if he could arrange for his Association to provide hot dogs and hamburgers for a reasonable price at such an event. He said he’d check into it and call me back.

Then I got on the phone with my client who was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. I asked him if he could gather some of his compatriots and have them attend our gathering should we decide to have one. He’d check into it and call me back.

A few minutes later, I decided I’d better get approval from the landlord to hold an event in our parking lot. He said he’d send around a notice to all the tenants that the building would be closed on Presidents Day, and that the parking lot would be used for some festivities. He got positive feedback.

Then I asked our own Ward Relief Society for our Church if they could please provide some pies, cherry and apple, to have for refreshments for our get-together. I explained that I intended to count the slices of pie that would be eaten, in order to determine how many people showed up.

My clients, the President of the Bar-b-que Association, and the leader of the Sons of the American Revolution, both agreed to be there and to lend their support. I was on a roll.

I then called a friend of mine who was in the local fire department to ask him to bring a fire truck over. The local Bank One, and Gunnell’s Tires, and others agreed to contribute money. A local Albertson’s Grocery was happy to provide a large Birthday Cake for George, all I had to do was pick it up.

George and Martha look alikes were contacted and agreed to come, as did a Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin and other patriots! The local Boy Scouts offered to set up, take down, and clean up as an Eagle project. We made a large balloon arch and had a painted sign. I was on TV that morning. It just kept rolling along. One thing after another. Wow, had I started something!

That year we had more than 500 slices of apple or cherry pie eaten, so that was our official count. The next year we did it again—only it got bigger. We hired an official crown counter who counted 1,200 attendees. The next year the same only larger. The forth year we counted more than 2,500 people, families with their children, School Board members, the Mayor, our U.S. Congressman, and more.

Whew, it grew to be a big occasion. It was by far the largest Presidents Day Celebration in the whole State of Arizona. It actually seemed to be the only one!

I was reminded of this as I read an article by author Marian Wright Edelman. “There is no Free Lunch. Don’t feel entitled to anything you don’t sweat and struggle for.
“If you see a need, don’t ask, ‘Why doesn’t somebody do something?’ Ask instead, ‘Why don’t I do something?’ This world needs more shepherds and fewer sheepl
“Never work just for money or power. They won’t save your soul or build a decent family or help you sleep at night.
“Don’t be afraid of taking risks or being criticized. If you don’t want to be criticized, don’t say anything, don’t do anything, and don’t be anything. Don’t be afraid to fail.” (The Measure of Our Success.)