Every second Monday in October, no mail is delivered. No driver’s licenses are issued, and no banking is done in this great country of ours. Most of us remember from our school days how, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in 1492.” This Italian explorer was looking for a faster route to the far east. His three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria didn’t fall off from the edge of the earth, (as some feared) but they discovered a whole new world. The first recorded celebration was held in 1792 by The Tammany Society in New York City and the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston in honor of the 300th anniversary. On it’s 400th anniversary, President Benjamin Harris issued the first official proclamation, encouraging Americans to celebrate that day. Franklin Roosevelt created the first federal observance of the national holiday in 1937, while Richard M. Nixon established the current holiday in 1972. While some states don’t even recognize Columbus Day as a state holiday, most stores take advantage of the holiday to boost sales between the “back to school” and Thanksgiving weekend rushes. For most of us, it was just another day in the office! If you were lucky enough to be off today, I hope you went “exploring!” God Bless, Courtney