Small Town Times February2018 (1) | 页面 4

National Pizza Day By: Rachel Linden National Pizza day is on February 9 th and the holiday is dedicated to appreciating pizza. Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy around the 10th century and it has since grown to become one of the most popular foods in America. Facts about Pizza: 1. Pepperoni is the most popular pizza and topping 2. Three billion pizzas are sold in the US each year- and another billion in frozen pizzas. 3. 17% of US Restaurants are pizzerias. 4. Antica Pizzeria, the first Pizzeria in the United States, opened in 1895 in New York City. 5. Americans consume, on average, 23 pounds of pizza per person each year. 6. Part of pizza’s appeal is that it never has to be the same and it can easily be changed to tastes, preferences, and diets. Ways to Celebrate National Pizza Day: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Go on a pizza crawl of the best pizza places in your city Wear pizza clothing all day Challenge your friends to a pizza bake off Give your friends pizza-themed gifts Bring pizza to work Cook multi-course meals where every course is in the form of pizza 7. Visit “Random Acts of Pizza” online to send a pizza to someone in need. 8. Have a pizza party No one knows exactly when National Pizza Day was created, but almost everyone can find something to love about it! Groundhog Day By: Marrisa Zentz Ever wonder how this “tradition” came into play? Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2 nd in the United States and Canada. The Pennsylvania Dutch superstition is if a groundhog comes out of his den on February 2 nd and sees his shadow, then winter will go on for six more weeks. According to Stormfax Almanac, the groundhog is only about 39% accurate. One theory states that the groundhog naturally comes out of hibernation in central Pennsylvania in February because of rising temperatures. This is just one of many theories. In the past, the prediction of weather based an animal’s behavior- which is thought of as crazy nowadays- was given more credit because stores would be scarce of food as the harsh winter progressed. This year, Groundhog Day falls on a Friday. I wonder what this Groundhog’s Day will bring- more winter or early spring? 4