Celebrate Every Day

Celebrate Every Day


February 15, 2021 – National Gumdrop Day | Presidents Day

February 14, 2021

Welcome to February 15th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a candy king and a famous peak.

If you’ve ever played the board game Candy Land you’ll know there is no gumdrop king in the Gumdrop Mountains.  But there was one in real life.  Percy Truesdell was posthumously named the Gumdrop King for his improvement of the candy that was once a solid glob of sugar.  Thanks to his chemistry experiments in the labs of Ohio State University, Percy landed on the right amount of starch in the recipe and a smooth, chewy confection was born. The original flavors of clove, allspice, cinnamon and spearmint go nicely on gingerbread houses, where no one has to eat them.  The flavors of cherry, grape, orange and lemon are still popular today and thanks to the Gumdrop King we can celebrate National Gumdrop Day without breaking our teeth.

In 1885, Charles Rushmore was hiking through the Black Hills of South Dakota, checking on gold mines for his employer. As they passed by one of the big peaks, he looked up and asked his guide what its name was. The guide laughed and said, “It never had any but it has now. We’ll call the thing Rushmore”. Today the mountain is a breathtaking monument to some of the greatest presidents in United States history. Washington represents the country’s founding. Jefferson symbolizes its growth. Theodore Roosevelt, the conservation of its natural beauty. And Lincoln, the preservation of its union, no matter the cost. On Presidents Day, we celebrate the contribution of the folks who built the United States from the ground up. 

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.