Father's Day Primer: What To Know, Where To Go, Facts To Impress

It was a Mother's Day sermon that got Father's Day rolling and that's why today, June 17, dads are getting the royal treatment.

Posted below are some facts about Father's Day that will make for good conversation at celebratory meals. As for where to eat those meals, we give some suggestions to that effect as well.

And to the Greater Brandon dads poised to be doted on, congratulations on a job well done. And remember, you get one day, mom gets one day, and the kids? They get the rest!

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Good Reading on Father's Day

• Attached to this posting is a picture of Lt. Col. Gerry Donohue, in an emotional reunion with his son, Antonio. The picture was snapped by Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch editor D'Ann White, who captured the moment on the last day of school at Cimino Elementary School, where Donohue surprised his four children when he showed up unexpectedly at the school after being stationed in southeast Asia for 15 months. For more on this story, and more photos, read, Air Force Dad Surprises Kids at Cimino Elementary School.

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Father's Day Fun Facts

• How Did Father's Day Begin? In its report on Father's Day Fun Facts, the Palm Harbor Patch notes that the idea for Father’s Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration June 17, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of Smart’s birth.

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Where To Eat Locally on Father's Day?

• As you make your decision, consider Where To Eat Father's Day Weekend: A Guide to Local Eateries. The report accounts for some 25 eateries, noting as well brunches today at and the Copper Bell Cafe in Riverview.

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What Else Happened on June 17?

Father's Day in 2012 happens to fall on June 17, as the second Sunday of the month. But the day stands for itself in terms of historical significance, as noted by what else happened on June 17, according to "This Day in History," a video posted by History.com:

• 1775 — The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought between British soldiers and Boston militia.

• 1885 — "The world's largest immigrant arrives in New York." The Statute of Liberty arrives from France, "a beautiful sight to the millions she's welcomed to America."

• 1928 — Aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

• 1972 — Five men were arrested for burgling Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington. "The attempted coverup and White House involvement in the break-in would bring down the Nixon administration."

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