May 13
001

Important Papers from the Kentucky Derby

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
Kentucky Derby, unknown date Permission to use...

Image via Wikipedia

     The 137th running of the Kentucky Derby took place at Churchill Downs last Saturday, May 7, 2011. According to WLKY, a record crowd, 164,858 people, came out for the “most exciting two minutes in sports.”
     One of the most overlooked and a very important aspect of the Derby is paper. Now you may be thinking to yourself, how is paper important to the Derby? Well many items need to be printed on paper in order to help make the Derby a success.
For example:
     • Derby tickets
     • Brochures
     • Bets
     These few items printed on paper may seem minor; however, without these, the Derby would not be possible.
     • First off, people need tickets to enter the premises, many of which are bought online and printed from a computer.
     • Brochures list and contain information about the races, horses, and  jockeys.
     • Lastly, one of the most important items of the day: bets. Horse-racing and betting go hand-in-hand. Bets are printed on small pieces of paper, approximately the size of one lottery quick pick. These little pieces of paper can become very valuable, especially if your horse wins.
     Many tickets, brochures, and wagers are kept as memorabilia and find their way into scrapbooks. However, a lot of losing tickets never make it into a scrapbook or even into a trashcan.
     One can only imagine the aftermath of what 164,000 plus people leave behind. Now cleaning up the aftermath may sound like a hard and scrupulous job. One of the most common items found lying around is losing tickets. However, what if somewhere in the piles of paper and trash there is a winning ticket someone lost or accidentally threw away? It could be like finding a needle in a haystack; however, it may add a little excitement to the cleanup effort, as you can see in this news report from WLKY on YouTube. One kid found $146 cash and others only found a lot of trash and losing tickets.
          I had the opportunity to attend and work the Derby this year. It is truly a worthwhile event and I would highly recommend attending at least once in your lifetime if you have the opportunity. This year’s winner was Animal Kingdom, who was ridden by jockey John Velazquez.

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May 10
002

Mother’s Day: Third Largest Card-Sending Holiday in the U.S.

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
Wild Roses Mother's Day Card

Image by Flora Powell via Flickr

               Did you send or receive one of the 139 million cards that were sent for Mother’s Day? Mother’s Day is always celebrated on the second Sunday in May and this year it took place on May 8, 2011.

            According to Hallmark’s Corporate Website, Mother’s day is the third-largest card sending holiday in the United States. On average, 139 million cards are sent annually on Mother’s Day. However, in the Hispanic community, Mother’s Day is the largest card-sending holiday.

            According to Hallmark’s Corporate Website, Hallmark began producing Mother’s Day cards in the early 1920s. Mother’s day cards come in all shapes and sizes. Some cards are homemade. Others are purchased and are recordable, simple, or elaborate.

            According to Hallmark’s Corporate Website, Mother’s Day is credited to Anna M. Jarvis. On the second anniversary of her mother’s death, which fell on the second Sunday in May, Jarvis told the public about her plan to establish a day that honored mothers. The observance of mother’s day became official in 1914.

            May 11, 2008 was the 100th anniversary of Mother’s Day. Here is a YouTube video titled “Anna Jarvis and the history of Mother’s Day” by WV Public Broadcasting about the 100th anniversary and the history of mother’s day.

 
 
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