Cow Appreciation Day: July 15

HAPPY COW APPRECIATION DAY
~ July 15th ~

Check out our special exhibit on cow poetry and cow art. Click HERE.

'Preciate dem cows!

Above: Bertie addressing graduates at Boston College. Right: Dahlia on stage at the Met rehearsing for Cosi Fan Tutti. Click the images to enlarge.

Above: Eleanor Rood at an MLB press conference. Right: Gussie Bolger on the Red Carpet with Simon Cowell.

Know a cow who's done good? Let us know, and we'll publicize her story!

Scroll down to learn about the "Parade of the Librarians" and other traditions associated with Cow Appreciation Day!

Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) set July 15th as Cow Appreciation Day (the complete history is below). He also wrote about it in his now-classic poem "A Bovine's simple Fame" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "A Clover's simple Fame" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

A Bovine’s simple Fame
Remembered of the Cow –
A date that’s set for wild acclaim
Throughout society –

How now receives itself
And so for adulation
The Day is set to look ahead
For Cow Appreciation –

Above: A wind-up toy cow invented
by Emmett Lee Dickinson for his daughter
Qwerty Jean Dickinson.

By Emily Dickinson:

A Clover's simple Fame
Remembered of the Cow –
Is better than enameled Realms
Of notoriety –

Renown perceives itself
And then defiles the power
The Daisy that has looked behind
Has forfeited the Dower –

"Lang may yer lum reek" is the official greeting from librarians every where on Cow Appreciation Day,
and it means "May you live long and stay well."

Enjoy our two slide shows below of vintage postcards from past CADs,
and then scroll down for information on the history of Cow Appreciation Day.

Follow us on Twitter for CAD info and fun facts about cows: @The_Dickinson

COW APPRECIATION DAY

Most people know of Emmett Lee Dickinson’s love of corn, but few know of his appreciation of cows. Dickinson was also a great admirer of Gelett Burgess, the poet who wrote the poem “I never saw a purple cow.” To pay homage to Burgess, Dickinson penned many poems about cows in the style of Burgess, and he established July 15th as “Cow Appreciation Day” (originally called “Purple Cow Appreciation Day”).

In July 2013, the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard in historic Washerst, Pennsylvania) hosted a special exhibit, "What Rhymes With Purple Cow." For information on that exhibit, click HERE.

See below for more on the history and traditionsof Cow Appreciation Day.

Perhaps the most popular tradition associated with Cow Appreciation Day: local libraries around the county provide cow rides for "children of all ages."
Pictured above: Dr. Cuthbert Bletcher, the director of the Washerst Central Library, recites poetry by Emmett Lee Dickinson as reference librarian Josephine Winklepicker assists a child on a cow ride for Cow Appreciation Day, 1912.

Lang May Yer Lum Reek!

Cow Appreciation Day is sponsored by the American Library Association (see the history of CAD below), and on July 15th, librarians greet all of their customers with the official CAD greeting, "Lang may yer lum reek!" -- which means "May you live long and stay well!"

As you pass people on the street on July 15th, join with the ALA and greet the passers-by with "Lang may yer lum reek!"

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COW APPRECIATION DAY

“Cow Appreciation Day” is sponsored by the American Library Association and is officially celebrated on July 15th. It is not affiliated with Chick-Fil-A’s unsanctioned “Cow Appreciation Day,” always scheduled on the second Friday of July.

Pictured at the left: The National Headquarters for the American Library Association, proud sponsor of Cow Appreciation Day. The monument in the front of the building is of Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, tiwce removed (at her request).

Emmett Lee Dickinson established July 15 as “Cow Appreciation Day” in the late 1800s as a tribute to poet Gelett Burgess. The holiday was originally dubbed “Purple Cow Appreciation Day,” but the “Purple” was dropped in 1878 in the midst of an impassioned family feud.

A few years earlier, Emmett Lee’s cousin Alvina Dickinson, daughter of Merton Dickinson, married wealthy chicken tycoon Charles “Chic” Fillay, The Fillays owned and operated a chain of fried chicken restaurants called “Charlie's Chicken Coop.” However, Alvina and Charles divorced when Alvina caught Charles in what came to be known in Washerst and around the country as the“Spring Chicken Scandal.”

Out of spite, “Chic” Fillay created “Chicken Appreciation Day” to thwart Dickinson’s “Cow Appreciation Day.” Infuriated, Dickinson penned and published the following poem:

I never saw a purple chicken,
I never hope to see one;
But I have news that's sure to sicken:
If you dine at Charles’ Chicken Coop you’re sure to see and eat one.

Pictured above: Alvina Dickinson Fillay

The poem became an overnight sensation and infuriated the Fillay family. World-wide press coverage of the family feud brought Charlie’s Chicken Coop to the brink of financial ruin. Forced to change the name of the family business to Chick-Fil-A, Charles Fillay -- in a move to spite the Dickinson family -- also changed the name and concept of “Chicken Appreciation Day” and created a rival “Cow Appreciation Day.”

Pictured below: Some of the worldwide tabloid coverage of the Dickinson-Fillay family feud:

At that point, Alvina Dickinson Fillay, one of the founders of the American Library Association, sprang to action by enlisting the help of librarians across the country. She persuaded the ALA to endorse July 15 as the official “Cow Appreciation Day.” Libraries planned a vairety of activities to celebrate the day, including cow rides for “children of all ages.” Also, in the 1890s, the Board of Trustees of the ALA, headquartered in Washerst, inagurated a spectacular "Parade of the Librarians” on Cow Appreciation Day, a tradition that continues to this day!

Pictured at the right: A float from the Parade of the Librarians in Washerst, Pennsylvania, home of the American Library Association, on Cow Appreciation Day in 1893. The tradition of the Parade of the Librarians continues to this day.

Pictured above: The Board meeting of the ALA in 1888 to establish July 15th as Cow Appreciation day.

Pictured above: Washerst librarian Lillian Gredge prepares for
Cow Appreciation Day in 1934.

The ALA sponsors two Cow Riding Training centers,
one in Washerst and the other in North Washerst.
Both are recognized as the premiere cow riding
training centers in the world.
Click on the images at the left and right to enlarge.

Pictured above: The ALA Board of Trustees opens the Parade of the Librarians for Cow Appreciation Day in 1912.

Pictured at the right: In the 1960s, the ALA featured the latest hairstyles in the Parade of the Librarians.

Pictured at the left and right:
In the 1940s and 1950s, the ALA included the "Water Show Spectacular"
as part of the CAD celebrations.

Click on the images to enlarge.

In the vinitage postcard above, the ALA's "Marching Librarians" march in the 1918 "Parade of the Librarians" to open the festivities for "Cow Appreciation Day" in Washerst, Pennsylvania, home of poet Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request.)

In the undated photograph above, Washerst librarians open the
"Parade of the Librarians" with Uncle Sam!

Above: Librarians at the North Washerst Library prepare for the cow rides
on Cow Appreciation Day in 1962.

At the right: The CAD National Monument dedicated to Emmett Lee Dickinson
in Washerst, PA.

How Will You Celebrate Cow Appreciation Day?

There are three tradtional ways to celebrate Cow Apprciation Day:

1) The Herbivore Way: Take a cow ride at a local or regional library!

2) The Carnivore Way: Enjoy a juicy steak at a family gathering!

3) The Omnivore Way: Ride a cow at the library, then go home to a steak and boiled spinach dinner (the traditional meal for "Cow Appreciation Day").

Did you know that Emmett Lee Dickinson invented the Moon Pie? The Purple Cow Moon Pies Factory (pictured at the right) is the world's leading producer of Moon Pies.

Another great way to celebrate Cow Appreciation Day: Enjoy a Purple Cow Moon Pie!

Emmett Lee Dickinson's cousin Alvina Dickinson divorced Charles Fillay after she caught her husband in what came to be known in Washerst and around the country as the“Spring Chicken Scandal.”

Out of spite, “Chic” Fillay created Chicken Appreciation Day to thwart Dickinson’s increasingly popular Cow Appreciation Day. A sample of Charles Fillay's marketing for Chicken Appreciation Day is pictured at the left.

Dickinson retaliated with his own Cow Appreciation Day campaign (pictured at the right) that included references to the "Spring Chicken Scandal."

A sure-fire way to enjoy Cow Appreciation Day is by celebrating the holiday at DickinsonLand, the theme park named after the man who established CAD.

Between 1880 and 1956, the original DickinsonLand was the place to be and be seen! The park closed, though, after years of neglect, a series of fires, and the Washerst street gang problems of the 1950s.

However, a brand-spanking-new DickinsonLand opened July 1, 2013, in historic Washerst. For details on all of the rides, attractions, and services of DickinsonLand, click HERE.

HAPPY COW APPRECIATION DAY~ July 15th ~