This Sunday will be my first Father’s Day as an actual father. I expect my daughter to mark the occasion by pooping and gurgling (she’s 6 weeks old, so I’ll give her a pass). Father’s Day is always the lesser sibling to Mother’s Day, and probably with good reason considering the often traumatic act of childbirth. After that, mom gets all the flowers and brunch she can handle. A quick check of the Internet Movie Database reveals that “Mother’s Day” shows up in the description of 51 movies, while “Father’s Day” yields only 15 (oddly, the Billy Crystal/Robin Williams ‘comedy’ Father’s Day is not one of them). Father’s Day is always a little sleepier. There’s less riding on it.
This just means that Father’s Day is ripe for a re-imagining. Here are 3 somewhat off-beat suggestions for your celebration.
Strange Baseball Promotions
What better way to spend Father’s Day with a baseball-mad papa than outdoors at the ballpark? Major League Baseball has 15 games on the schedule, but the real action is in the minor leagues where the Stockton Ports, an Oakland A’s affiliate, is offering something called a Presidental Seat Cushion Giveaway (sic). Get there early to collect both Obama and Romney!
War Re-enactment
For Toronto dads who are buffs for military history and hickory-smoked ribs, Black Creek Pioneer Village offers its annual American Revolution re-enactment The Battle of Black Creek. Re-enactors dressed as British, American and Native soldiers will duke it out for your daddish (not: dada-ish) amusement. But first: BBQ. I have no idea how period-authentic smoked baby back ribs are, but I’m sure nobody will quibble at the pre-battle lunch. Hopefully you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of a Redcoat surreptitiously checking his iPhone. Expect beards.
Man Show
For the west coast dads out there, what better way to spend a day devoted to fathers than at a show devoted to all things men? The Vancouver Men’s Show features over 250 exhibitors catering to men’s needs (so long as your needs are mostly custom motorcycle parts), as well as a variety of events including a strong man competition, freestyle motocross, Segway demonstrations(?), a poker tournament, and arm-wrestling and bench-pressing competitions. Because, what better way to celebrate dad than owning him on the arm-wrestling table?
However you choose to celebrate your father this weekend, just make sure he knows how much you appreciate him. Even if it means pooping and gurgling.
