James Baquet Here are three more holidays in February that deserve special consideration. The first falls Feb. 3 and is called “The Anniversary of ‘The Day the Music Died.’” Why might that phrase sound familiar? Back in 1959, rock-and-roll icon Buddy Holly, whose “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue” were among rock’s earliest hits, was on a tour of the Mid-West with his band, “The Crickets.” Their name is thought to have inspired the name of one of rock’s greatest bands ever, “The Beatles.” Also on the tour were up-and-coming singers Richie Valens (known for “La Bamba”) and J. P. Richardson, known as “The Big Bopper,” and remembered for “Chantilly Lace.” The weather was cold and the musicians were tired, so Holly paid for a small airplane to take some of them to their next performance. On Feb. 3, the plane went down, killing Holly, Valens, Richardson, and the pilot. Fast-forward 12 years, to 1971, when singer-songwriter Don McLean released his hit “American Pie,” with many coded references to the event, dubbing it “The Day the Music Died.” McLean felt that the tragedy, happening just before the turmoil of the 1960s, symbolized the “loss of innocence” represented by the earliest performers of rock-and-roll. The day is still celebrated with concerts and radio programs. Moving on to Feb. 17 we find “Random Acts of Kindness Day,” a day to do something nice for no particular reason. Some call this “Pay It Forward,” being proactively kind (as opposed to “paying someone back” for being kind to you). Acts might include sending someone a note, paying for a stranger’s coffee, or taking a gift to a new neighbor. Though the movement began in the United States in 1995, the first RAK Day was held in New Zealand on Sept. 1, 2004. It’s also celebrated Nov. 4 in Australia. Finally, Feb. 20 is “Northern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo Day.” Sick of the winter cold, especially in northern latitudes, the organizers encourage everyone to go outside on this day, raise their hands above their heads, and chant “Hoodie-Hoo! Hoodie-Hoo!” to chase away winter blahs. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. growing more popular 2. state of disturbance, agitation 3. in contrast to 4. hidden messages 5. something or someone symbolic 6. doing something original, not as a reaction 7. naming 8. skip (to) 9. awareness of life’s difficulties 10. feelings of boredom | 