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Speak Up For Service Day

Speak Up For Service Day on October 30th recognizes the importance of young people to be actively involved in community service. Too often, the good deeds of young people go unnoticed by their communities. Speak Up For Service Day gives recognition to the overlooked. It serves as a reminder to tell others about the contributions of young people to their communities.

Each year, the Speak Up For Service public speaking contest is held in conjunction with the North Dakota State Lions Convention. Other Lions Clubs and Districts throughout North America sponsor similar public speaking contests. Young people share their insight on issues of the day. Additionally, they speak about the contributions of Lions to making the world a better place.

 

National Checklist Day

If you pride yourself on your organizational skills, then put a check mark next to National Checklist Day on October 30, a cherished holiday which keeps our lives together. The more complex our lives get, the easier it is to make mistakes. Today, we celebrate the humble checklist as the innovative tool that has stood the test of time.

 

National Candy Corn Day

On October 30th, the country celebrates its favorite vegetable with National Candy Corn Day.

In the late 1800s, George Renninger of Wunderle Candy Company created candy corn. His sweet treat represented the bright colors of corn kernels. Originally, candy corn was yellow, orange and white. However, it wasn’t until1889 that the Goelitz Candy Company made the candy popular. Later, other candy makers developed a variety of popular colors and flavors as well.

The original confection was made by hand using corn syrup, sugar, water, marshmallows, fondant, and carnauba wax (a wax made from the leaves of a palm tree). However, modern candy makers combine the original ingredients using machines.

 

Experiment with Halloween bark

Festive Halloween treats can be easily concocted with a little imagination. Crafting a homemade chocolate and candy bark is one way to incorporate many of the candies and other treats synonymous with Halloween in a single delicious bite.

According to Baking Bites, an online source of recipes and cooking advice, chocolate bark is a sheet of chocolate that is usually covered with nuts, dried fruits, candies, or additional pieces of chocolate. Bark, which is an easily prepared homemade dessert, can be broken apart into pieces.

Making bark begins with a favorite melting chocolate. Individuals can use candy-making chocolate that may need to be tempered and poured, or they can melt down chocolate bars and chips. This is best done in a double boiler set over simmering water. Some people have success melting chocolate in a microwave on low until the right consistency is reached.

The chocolate should be spread out on a pan lined with parchment paper or another nonstick surface, such as oiled aluminum foil. While the chocolate is still tacky, add the desired bark ingredients. Come Halloween, cooks can use candy corn,  pretzels, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and even dried cranberries to give the treat a seasonal feel. Of course, the bark can be customized to any flavor profile. Another fun idea is to have gummy worms or other candies sticking out of the bark for a truly 3-D effect.

Some people may choose to use white chocolate or melting candies in different colors (orange and yellow) to add even more appeal to Halloween-theme bark.

Let the bark cool and harden. It can then be lifted off of the pan and broken into pieces.

 

An ancient find

A Knight Templar lost his sword in the Mediterranean Sea off of what is now Haifa, Israel during the Crusades 900 years ago. It was retrieved recently by a hapless diver who came across came across a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, including the sword, by mere chance, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. The Israel Antiquities Authority’s Robbery Prevention Unit says, “The sword, which has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a Crusader knight.”