International Sister Cities Day 2025 is on Wednesday, March 26, 2025: When exactly is sweetest day?

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 is International Sister Cities Day 2025.

Sponsored Deals

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Observed by Mostly Midwestern United States

Type Local

Date Third Saturday in October

2008 date October 18

Celebrations Giving small presents such as greeting cards, candy, and flowers to loved ones

Sweetest Day is an observance celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast United States on the third Saturday in October[1]. It is described by Retail Confectioners International, as "much more important for candymakers in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities)" and an "occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed."[2] Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted promotion"[3] created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of candy.

The origin of Sweetest Day is frequently attributed to candy company employee Herbert Birch Kingston as an act of philanthropy.[4] However, Bill Lubinger, a reporter for The Plain Dealer, contends that "Dozens of Cleveland's top candy makers concocted the promotion 84 years ago and it stuck, although it never became as widely accepted as hoped."[5] The Cleveland Plain Dealer's October 8, 1921 edition, which chronicles the first Sweetest Day in Cleveland, states that the first Sweetest Day was planned by a committee of 12 confectioners chaired by candymaker C. C. Hartzell. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to "newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor" in Cleveland, Ohio[6]. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee was assisted in the distribution of candy by some of the biggest movie stars of the day including Theda Bara and Ann Pennington.[7]

There were also several attempts to start a "Sweetest Day" in New York City, including a declaration of a Candy Day throughout the United States by candy manufacturers on October 8, 1922.[8] In 1927, The New York Times reported that "the powers that determine the nomenclature of the weeks of October" decreed that the week beginning on October 10, 1927 would be known as Sweetest Week.[9] On September 25, 1937, The New York Times reported under Advertising News and Notes that The National Confectioners Association had launched a "movement throughout the candy industry" to rank Sweetest Day with the nationally accepted Mother's Day, Father's Day, and St. Valentine's Day.[10] In 1940, another Sweetest Day was proclaimed on October 19. The promotional event was marked by the distribution of more than 10,000 boxes of candy by the Sweetest Day Committee.[11] The candy was distributed among 26 local charities. 225 children were given candy in the chapel at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children on October 17, 1940.[11] 600 boxes of candy were also delivered to the presidents of the Jewish, Protestant and Catholic Big Sister groups of New York.[11]

[edit] Today

Sweetest Day now largely involves giving small presents such as greeting cards, candy, and flowers to loved ones. While it is not as large or widely observed as Valentine's Day, it is still celebrated in parts of the United States, despite persistent allegations of being a "Hallmark holiday." [12] In 2006, Hallmark marketed 151 greeting card designs for Sweetest Day. American Greetings marketed 178.[13]

[edit] References

^ Cridlin, Jay. "A sweet day for Hallmark", St Petersburg Times, 2006-10-21. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

^ Sweetest Day, retailerconfectioners.org. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

^ The Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 15, 2005.

^ Sweetest Day History and Facts theromantic.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

^ The Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 15, 2005.

^ The Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922.

^ The Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922.

^ The New York Times, October 8, 1922.

^ The New York Times, October 10, 1927.

^ The New York Times, September 25, 1937.

^ a b c The New York Times, October 18, 1940.

^ Arnett, Lisa. "Sweet wine o’ mine", The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

^ Orsborn, Kimberly. "Sweetest Day born in Ohio", Mount Vernon News, 2006-10-20. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.

[edit] Further reading

(2004-10-04) in Maud Lavin: The Business of Holidays. Monacelli. ISBN 1-58093-150-2.

Scott C. Martin (1997). "Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays". Journal of Social History 31. 

Bennett Madison and James Dignan (2002-12-28). I Hate Valentine's Day. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. ISBN 0-689-87372-7.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Sweetest DayMichael Webb. History of Sweetest Day Origins and Facts About Sweetest Day. TheRomantic.com.

Sweetest Day was born from one man’s kindness…not in the laboratory of a greeting card company. American Greetings Corporation (August 2004).

Sweetest Day 2005. Hallmark Cards (September 2005).

Retrieved from ""

Categories: Holidays in the United States

I am going to Orlando, International drive area. Should I go to Disney??

There are alot of interesting places right on I-Dr itself and you can use the I-Ride Trolley to get up and down I-Dr. Depending on what day of the week you'll have your free day you might want to check out Friday's Front Row if your a sports fan, or perhaps Cricketers Arms Pub at Festival Bay mall. While your there check out the Bass Pro Shop if your a sportsman, or just a bit down from there is the outlet mall. There are also some nice clubs on I-Dr. check Pointe Orlando for clubs, shopping, restaurants and the IMAX theater. More into shopping head for the Premium Outlet Mall a bit further south on I-Dr. Maybe a water park would interest you, Wet-n-Wild is on north I-Dr and Aquatica the new Seaworld water park opens Mar. 1st and looks like a fun change of pace. Want more nightlife, look at Universal's City Walk just a short distance off I-Dr. or take in one of the many clubs. Look at these websites for more ideas.

www.iridetrolley.com

www.cricketersarmspub.com

that should get you started with some ideas of what is available to do.

What can we do in NYC 4 a day?

Sights to see:

Times Square

Central Park

St. Patricks Cathedral

Statue of Liberty

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Greenwich Village

Brooklyn Bridge

Chinatown

Little Italy

Empire State Building

Wall street

Chyrstler building

Grand Central Station

Rockefeller center

JuNE

Museum Mile Festival

On 5th Ave from 82nd St to 105th St. Museums, are open free 6-9pm

SummerStage

Free performances by international artists and big name benefit shows in Central Park

JULY

Independence Day - July 4

The fireworks from Macy's, South Street Seaport and the display over the East River best place to view them Battery Park

New York City Shopping

Saks 5th Avenue

Macy's New York, Inc.

FAO Schwartz

Bloomingdale's

Tiffany & Co.

NYC parks and gardens

Battery Park

Blue Heron Park

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Heights Promenade

Central Park

High Rock Park

New York Botanical Garden

Pelham Bay Park

Prospect Park

Staten Island Botanical Garden

Queens Botanical Garden

The Greenbelt Nature Center

Wave Hill