It’s almost time for the annual Midwest-started holiday, Sweetest Day, a chance to let the people in your life know that you appreciate them.
Here’s what to know about the upcoming holiday.
When is Sweetest Day?
The annual holiday is celebrated on the third Saturday in October, touted as a way to share romantic deeds, expressions, acts of charity and kindness. This year, it’s on Oct. 15.
How did Sweetest Day get started?
According to National Today, Sweetest Day was first celebrated in Cleveland in 1922, when multiple candy companies distributed more than 20,000 boxes of candy to the city’s vulnerable, including “newsboys, orphans, old folks and the poor.”
Eventually, the idea spread, from Cleveland to the rest of Ohio and a few other states.
Hallmark also attributes Sweetest Day’s start to Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland candy company employee “who wanted to bring happiness to the lives of those who often were forgotten.”
“In the early 1930s, movie stars got into the act. Ann Pennington distributed candy to 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys, and Theda Bara gave candy to theatergoers and patients in Cleveland hospitals,” Hallmark’s website says.
In 1937, the National Confectioners Association launched a movement to rank Sweetest Day with other nationally accepted holidays such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day, but the effort fell flat.
Is Sweetest Day an actual holiday?
No, the day is not federally recognized but is observed by people in states and regions around the U.S.
Do all states celebrate Sweetest Day?
In the U.S., Sweetest Day is mostly celebrated in the Midwest, parts of the Northeast and Florida. It’s most popular in Cleveland and Detroit.
Who is Sweetest Day for?
The holiday is not aimed specifically toward any gender, as it was started to give chocolate and sweets to the vulnerable in the city.
Now, it’s seen as a chance to express love or admiration for the people in your life, whether it’s family, friends, romantic partners or others.
Looking for ways to celebrate the day?
Those celebrating Sweetest Day in Greater Columbus will find no shortage of either candy or possibilities for romance. Here are a few of the many ways to make a day of it.
⋅ Feeling nostalgic? Head to the “I Love the 90s Sweetest Day Concert” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St. Get cozy with the sounds of R&B trio SWV (Sisters with Voices), soul band Tony! Toni! Tone! and R&B star Dave Hollister. Tickets start at $64. (www.capa.com)
⋅ Candy and flowers make an irresistible old-school combination, and the many Flowerama stores around Columbus have some special Sweetest Days deals on both, with everything from a small box of assorted chocolates ($8) to a “Columbus Romance” bouquet ($75 to $90) to a “Seventy Five Rose Grand Gesture” ($300). (www.floweramacolumbus.com)
⋅ How about a romantic walk in the park? Pack some goodies or pick up a takeout picnic from one of the many local restaurants and stroll through Schiller Park to see the newest Jerzy Kedziora sculptures and engage in some prime people- and dog-watching. If you want to stick with the candy theme, Schmidt’s Fudge Haus, 220 E. Kossuth St. (schmidtsfudgehaus.com) or Winans Chocolates & Coffees, 897 S. 3rd St. (www.winanscandies.com) will be glad to help you out.
⋅ If you like to keep your candy local, make your way to one of the many locations of Anthony Thomas Chocolates, now celebrating its 70th year of chocolate-making. Try a chocolate pumpkin pop ($2.50), a milk chocolate cat ($5.95), an autumn snack pail ($26.95), a buckeye dispenser ($32.95) or one of the company’s many other treats. (www.anthony-thomas.com)
⋅ Those with sweet teeth more dedicated to cookies than candy, and with an inclination toward DIY, can indulge themselves at a Hocus Pocus cookie-decorating class at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at Outerbelt Brewing and Taproom, 3560 Dolson Court, Carroll. Tickets are $40. www.eventbrite.com
