John Gruber and His Famous Almanack Part 7
he year 1963 saw introduction of contests in which readers competed for various humorous prizes such as "suitcases full of money," or "buckets of cash," for the best letters on various subjects of interest…. when to trim toe nails or have the haircut. Cures for dyspepsia, toothache, hives, and both dog and snakebite were also submitted for consideration as well as the cultivation of vineyards, the making of cidar (sic) and wine, plus antidotes for the warding off or dealing with the effects of excessive imbibing of the same.
Most recently, our readers have submitted pieces of beautiful original poetry, amusing personal anecdotes, and expressions of inspiration, for publication under what is titled "Our Readers Write" column.
At the request of a reader, we began listing the names of the Vice-presidents and with whom they served to accompany our long- time honored "Presidents' Poem" that debuted in 1851.
1974 was the year in which our esteemed Weather Prognosticator, Professor William O’Toole, contributed summaries of the year past and what could be expected in the year ahead with his informative "Conjecturers’ Column".
In 1976, The Zodiac began appearing, extolling the virtues of being born under the twelve various signs.
Three years later, in 1979, an identification of State Birds and State Flowers was included.
A "Table of Weights and Measures" was next added in 1981 along with a listing of various Anniversaries and their significant flowers, gems, etc., joining a new section "Design for Living," to aid readers in their pursuit of happiness.
Anglers were given suggested good dates for greatest success with rod and reel in "Gone Fishing' " in 1982 (the column was soon renamed "Take a Kid Fishin'") and two years later, our fuzzy friends the "Woolly Bears" were welcomed, when October was named National Annual Woolly Bear Month with entries encouraged to compete for the titles of "Cuddliest" and "Biggest" with appropriate prizes for their sponsors. The following year these crown "bearers" were given a name: "Alma," for the cuddliest and "Hairy Hager" for the Grand Champion, Alma being short for Almanack and Hairy Hager, short for Hagers-town. For well over 30 years now, youngsters, especially, have eagerly searched for and brought in their prize specimens to Woolly Bear Headquarters. In 2011, the Woolly Bear Contest was conducted on the Internet for the first time. Entries were photographed against a visible measure and submitted for judging via Facebook or by email. Today, The Almanack is partnered with Sonic Drive In of Hagerstown, Maryland, who assists with promotion of the contest, serves as 'Woolly Bear Headquarters', and helps to manage the live entries and their individual judging. They even offer a free coupon for an ice cream for all who participate!
The noting of Harvest Moon and Hunters Moon in September and October respectively was brought to our reader's attention in 1985 and we also reprised the Moon's Phases and Weather Conjecture for the last four months of the preceding year in each issue in case our readers had inadvertently misplaced that issue.
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