After the Rain, Golden October Sunshine!!
by Judy E. Bushy Golden October sunshine has arrived in Happy Camp!! The rain and cooler weather has put a damper on the McCash Fire on the southwestern side of Happy Camp. As of Saturday, October 9th it is at 81% contained!! This relieved worries of the fire invading Happy Camp from the opposite side that it did last year! We are very grateful! THANKS TO ALL THE FIRE FIGHTERS< SUPPORT AND OTHER ESSENTIAL HEROES!! October is the Oktoberfest holiday in Germany. When Angelica Brown, a native German speaker, taught and was principal at Happy Camp High School, they sometimes held a October special event! When my youngest son was in the German Class at Happy Camp they were fundraising for a trip to Germany. It never came to be, which was a disappointment to the hard working students. When our family lived in New Glarus, Wisconsin they also celebrated October. They had a William Tell festival. It celebrated the story of William Tell being forced to use his crossbow to shoot an apple off the head of his son. He had refused to pay homage to a tyrant, and was forced to submit to this test of marksmanship, Later he assassinated the tyrant. Plays about this folk hero spread from Switzerland to Germany where they were very popular up to the Nazi era. However, Hitler banned them after an assassination attempt on his life in 1941.. The very first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810. It was held to commemorate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (King Ludwig 1) to Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The wedding took place on October 12th, and a great horse race (to celebrate the marriage) was held a few days later on October 17th. The marriage was celebrated annually, and came to be known as Oktoberfest. Early Oktoberfest celebrations were held in October...but eventually moved to September. Oktoberfest has been held annually since 1810. It has been canceled a few times, due to wars, and once due to a major Cholera outbreak (1854)” according to Holidays Review. Wednesday October 6th is National Noodle Day but I hesitate to suggest that you celebrate noodles. It’s also walk or bike to school day, and there won’t be that opportunity to most students in Happy Camp Schools this year. Next Monday, will be a holiday for banks and post office, traditionally called Columbus Day but more recently adopted as Indigenous Peoples Day; the only day off work this month, Some sources say Halloween is the most popular holiday and falls on Sunday October 31st this year. I’ve heard that there’ll be a great Trunk n’ Treat event down on Washington Avenue for that occasion. There’s plenty of dressing up in costumes, and having a party, The main emphasis is mostly the candy and sweet treats! Following day is All Saints Day traditionally, The beginning of Native American Month is celebrated. November is also the beginning of NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writer’s Month, for those of you who didn’t get your memoir of childhood memories in Happy Camp written in July NaNoWriMo Camp. Are you working on a memoir, or do you have a book in mind that you’d like to write? The Committee to show our Veterans Appreciation by a dinner on November 11th is active. Donations from the Seiad Store, Kingfisher Marker and the Karuk Tribe have been received and plans are progressing. If you know a veteran who we could include in this appreciation, please let us know!! We’d like to include all veterans from Klamath River, all along the Highway 96 communities to Orleans. Then the Holiday Season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years comes! We’ve already gotten several catalogs in the mail for Christmas decorations. That materialistic part of Christmas isn’t the real meaning that makes it a wonderful holiday. Christmas is the season of joy, gift giving and families together celebrating the birth of baby Jesus in a Bethlehem stable. Helen Steiner Rice said, “Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day.