Event Calendar

Jan
1
Wed
First Day Mindfulness Hike @ First Day Mindfulness Hike
Jan 1 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

First Day Mindfulness Hike
Celebrate International Peace Day with a hike in nature! This serene walk along the Kiowa Trail will take you through the bountiful nature of Palo Duro Canyon. Learn how to ground yourself in the wilderness with mindful breathing exercises and short stops to open your senses to the outdoors. For this hike, meet at the Mack Dick Pavilion parking lot in Palo Duro Canyon State Park on January 1st at 10 AM.

Jan
2
Thu
NATIONAL BUFFET DAY – January 2 @ NATIONAL BUFFET DAY – January 2
Jan 2 all-day

NATIONAL BUFFET DAY – January 2
On January 2nd, National Buffet Day recognizes a popular dining destination for Americans. The buffet restaurant offers a variety of selections, making it possible for every member of the family to find what they want to eat.
A buffet system serves several food choices in a central location. Patrons easily view and select the food to serve themselves. Buffets are useful for feeding large groups of individuals at one time. Consequently, hotels, restaurants, and conventions offer buffets as a convenient way of providing services to their customers and hosting events. Nevertheless, buffet lines work well in a home setting, too.
Initially, during the middle of the 16th century, the buffet table comes from the Brannvinsbord – Swedish schnapps (shot of alcoholic beverage) table. The custom peaked during the early 18th century and then developed into the more modern buffet around the beginning of the 19th century. During the expansion of the railroads throughout Europe, the smorgasbord buffet increased in popularity.
Originally, the smorgasbord table was a meal where guests gathered before dinner for a pre-dinner drink and was separate from the formal dinner that followed.
In 1939, at the New York World’s Fair exhibition, the Swedes displayed a smorgasbord. It showcased the best of the Swedish food to a large number of visitors attending the fair. During the second half of the 20th century, after the Swedes had popularized the smorgasbord in New York, the word buffet became popular in the English-speaking world.
The term buffet originally referred to the French sideboard furniture where food was served from, however it eventually became applied to the serving format.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FICTION DAY @ National Science Fiction Day
Jan 2 all-day

NATIONAL SCIENCE FICTION DAY
National Science Fiction Day promotes the celebration of science fiction as a genre, its creators, history, and various media, too. Recognized on January 2nd annually, millions of science fiction fans across the United States read and watch their favorites in science fiction.
The date of the celebration commemorates the birth of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. An American author and Boston University professor of biochemistry, Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov on January 2, 1920. He was best known for his works of science fiction and his popular science books. Isaac Asimov, whose works are followed by many, died on April 6, 1992.
National Science Fiction Day is recognized by the Hallmark Channel and the Scholastic Corporation.
Considered a master of hard science fiction, Asimov, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the “Big Three” science-fiction writers during his lifetime. The Foundation Series is regarded as Asimov’s most outstanding piece. His other major series are the Galactic Empire Series and the Robot Series.
Some of the successful television shows recognized by science fiction fans include Star Trek-The Next Generation, The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, and The Twilight Zone.
As we look back at some older science fiction in our current technology-infused world, how close do the writers come to imaging our futures? Long before Asimov created his first work, humans imagined machines that allowed them to soar like birds. Another man, Leonardo Di Vinci, looked to the future, too. He designed contraptions worthy of the science fiction in his time.
Science fiction impacts life in ways we may not even consider – even those who don’t enjoy reading or watching science fiction.

Jan
3
Fri
National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day @ National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
Jan 3 all-day

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY DAY
National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day on January 3rd spotlights a favored treat during many holidays. The National Confectioners Association has even been noted to recognize the annual event.
It is almost impossible to eat just one of these chocolate covered cherry candies. The combination of two favorite flavors into one delicious treat turns into something irresistible. The candy often is made with a sweet liquid center and in some cases has a liquor filling.
Known to many as a mid-winter pick-me-up, chocolate-covered cherries, also called chocolate cordials, can be either store-bought or homemade. There are also many recipes that mimic the flavor of the long known and well-loved candy.
In the 1700s in England, cherries were enclosed in chocolate with a little kirsch (cordial) liqueur. After finding their way to the United States, Americans received them quite well, delighting in the little bit of alcoholic cordial surrounding the fruit dipped in chocolate. Although originally made with the liqueur, cordials/chocolate covered cherries are more commonly made with a sugar syrup flavored with cherries. The pitted cherries have been cooked in sugar syrup and jarred.

National Fruitcake Toss Day @ National Fruitcake Toss Day
Jan 3 all-day

NATIONAL FRUITCAKE TOSS DAY
On January 3rd, National Fruitcake Toss Day challenges us to chuck the fruitcake as far as you can. (Occasionally, this fun holiday is listed as occurring on the first Saturday in December.)
Many people receive fruitcakes as gifts sometime during the holiday season. Some people eat this holiday bread while others may re-gift them. There are those who sneakily throw them away and others who will do so openly.
But on the third day of January, another type of fruitcake, ahem, person comes out of the woodwork. These are the characters who have hoarded them, stored them and hid them so they can celebrate with a competition of sorts.

Coffee Memorial’s Annual M*A*S*H* Blood Drive @ Coffee Memorial's Annual M*A*S*H* Blood Drive
Jan 3 @ 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Coffee Memorial’s Annual M*A*S*H* Blood Drive
Come out with your driver’s license (!!) and donate blood and get prizes while you give the gift of life!

Amarillo Bulls Hockey Game! @ Amarillo Bulls Hockey Game!
Jan 3 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Amarillo Bulls Hockey Game!
On January 3rd and January 4th, head over to the Amarillo Civic Center Complex at 7:05 to cheer on the Amarillo Bulls!
Tickets are $14 for adults and $9 for children under 12.

Jan
4
Sat
NATIONAL TRIVIA DAY @ NATIONAL TRIVIA DAY
Jan 4 all-day

NATIONAL TRIVIA DAY
What National Day on January 4th celebrates those who accumulate and hoard tidbits of useless trivia? National Trivia Day, of course!
Each year, the holiday recognizes the collectors of unconnected, irrelevant data, facts, history, and quotes in the recesses of their brains. They are the ones who usually proffer these sometimes astounding bits of history when friends and family least expect it.
The word trivia is plural for the word trivium.
In ancient times, the term “trivia” was appropriated to mean something very new.
Nostalgic college students in the 1960s, along with others, began to informally trade questions and answers about the popular culture of their youth. After writing trivia columns, Columbia University students Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky created the earliest inter-collegiate quiz bowls that tested culturally (and emotionally) significant, yet virtually useless information, which they dubbed trivia contests. Trivia (Dell, 1966) was the first book treating trivia in the revolutionary new sense, authored by Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky. This book achieved a ranking on the New York Times bestseller list.
• Over time, the word “trivia” has come to refer to obscure and arcane bits of dry knowledge as well as nostalgic remembrances of pop culture.
• In North America, the game Trivial Pursuit peaked in 1984, when consumers bought over 20 million games.
• Steven Point, Wisconsin, holds the largest current trivia contest at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s college radio station WWSP 89.9 FM. During the April 2013 event, the university hosted the 44th annual contest. Typically, 400 teams participate, ranging from 1 to 150 players. The competition, which is open to anyone, spans 54 hours over a weekend with eight questions each hour.
• The first season of the popular television trivia show Jeopardy! premiered on March 30, 1964.

Coffee Memorial’s Annual M*A*S*H* Blood Drive @ Coffee Memorial's Annual M*A*S*H* Blood Drive
Jan 4 @ 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Coffee Memorial’s Annual M*A*S*H* Blood Drive
Come out with your driver’s license (!!) and donate blood and get prizes while you give the gift of life!

Mindfulness At The Museum: Art Centered @ Mindfulness At The Museum: Art Centered
Jan 4 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Mindfulness At The Museum: Art Centered
Namaste! Find your center at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on January 4th with their friendly “back to basics” Yoga class. The class will be held in PPHM’s art galleries from 10 AM to 12 PM. Enjoy the art that surrounds you while exercising.

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