A Real Day-Brightener : ‘Chase’s Annual Events,’ a Compendium of Celebrations, Has Called It a Day for 35 Years

It has 297 days, 233 weeks and 177 months.

It celebrates such great events as clean desks, hugging, oatmeal and prunes, and reminds you to remember Blame Someone Else Day (March 13), Middle Children’s Day (Aug. 8), Carpenter Ant Awareness Week (June 21-27) and National Piano Month (September).

It’s the bible of special occasions: “Chase’s Annual Events,” a compendium of occurrences, holidays and anniversaries--some serious, some not--which this year celebrates its own 35th anniversary.

“We saw our book as . . . something that should serve to brighten people’s lives, so they could find something every day that would add a little pleasure, excitement or fun,” says Bill Chase, 69, who created the book in 1957 with his brother, Harrison.

What started as a 32-page, 364-entry, self-published book that cheered up nursing home residents is now a 526-page edition of more than 10,000 listings that cheers up assignment editors on slow news days and people hankering to know when is Hug an Australian Day (April 26).

The book, now published by Contemporary Books in Chicago, lists days, weeks or months (and, in rarer cases, years or decades). They range from the serious (National AIDS Awareness Month, October) to the sublime (Relationship Renewal Day, May 4) to the ridiculous (Yell “Fudge” at the Cobras in North America Day, June 2) to the whimsical (National Goof-Off Day, March 22).

According to Chase, the book came about when he was an editorial librarian for the Flint Journal in Michigan. After fielding numerous questions from editors, reporters and readers, he realized the need for such a guide. (Incidentally, September is Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month.)

Early on, Chase’s brother dropped out and Bill Chase edited the book with his wife, Helen, until retiring in 1988. Under their guidelines, still in effect, any individual or organization can send in a proposal to commemorate just about anything.

“I tried to keep it as open as possible,” he says. “As long as it didn’t violate postal regulations, we included it. We weren’t judgmental.”

One of the more frequent contributors is a Pennsylvanian named Thomas Roy, who with wife Ruth Deck hosts a morning radio magazine show on WKBO in Harrisburg.

Through his Wellness Permission League, Roy has sponsored about 21 entries, among them No Socks Day (May 8), Eat What You Want Day (May 11), Have a Bad Day Day (Nov. 19) and Humbug Day (Dec. 21).

Roy’s March 9 Panic Day listing, for instance, reads: “Run around all day in a panic, telling others you can’t handle it anymore.” But, he says, “It’s a day when you don’t have to try to cope, or manage your stress, but can relax a little bit. That in itself may be therapeutic.”

Roy also created Answer Your Cat’s Question Day on Jan. 22 because “Cats look at you like they’re questioning you: ‘What are you doing with your life? Why are you doing all this work stuff? Look how happy we are, and we just lie around.’ ”

The Chases have also contributed several entries.

Homemade Bread Day (Nov. 17) is the birthday of Chase’s mother, who enjoyed baking bread. Daddy is also remembered on his birthday (Sept. 27) with Ancestor Appreciation Day.

And Eliza Doolittle Day (May 20) was created by Helen Chase to honor the “My Fair Lady” character for demonstrating the importance o’ prop’ly spaeking one’s nytive line-guage.

In recent years, there has been an increase in more serious entries, particularly in the health category, which lists 200 observances for 1992.

“There used to be heart and cancer and diabetes and the March of Dimes. Now every disease has a day or a week or a month, from lupus to Marfan’s Syndrome,” says Mary Eley, who has edited the past four editions of Chase’s. “There are a lot more in the area of drug use prevention and education, and sexually transmitted diseases.”

Ecological concerns also are reflected in the 20 environmentally related entries, including National Week of the Ocean (April 19-25), Clean Air Week (May 2-8), National Water Quality Month (August) and Public Lands Day (Sept. 12).

Why then, can’t you ever find a Happy Public Lands Day greeting card for your loved one?

According to Hallmark spokeswoman Renee Hershey, only those dates recognized nationally--usually via Presidential or Congressional proclamation--are considered as greeting card candidates.

Congressional recognition may soon become a thing of the past, however. Under consideration are two bills, submitted by Reps. Claudine Schneider (R-R.I.) and Dave McCurdy (D-Okla.), that seek to turn the process over to an independent presidential advisory commission. This would leave Congress more time to devote to more pressing issues.

If you too find all these non-major holidays just a bit irritating, you can take your mind off things by laughing through National Humor Month (April) or taking a break from everything on National Relaxation Day (Aug. 15).

And if that doesn’t do it, National Pet Peeve Week starts Oct. 12.