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In 1966, comedian Jerry Lewis began the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon in Las Vegas. The telethon lasted twenty four hours and involved performances by a number of celebrities. Donations to the telethon were received from organizations across the country, including the Roller Skating Rink Operators of America. The RSROA was one of the largest contributors, raising funds through skate-a-thons held at local skating rinks. The donations received helped fund research and patient care programs that helped pay for medical equipment and orthopedic devices for muscular dystrophy sufferers.

Jerry Lewis parted ways with the MDA in 2010. By that time the show had become a two hour televised event. The final telethon was hosted in 2014, after having raised over $2 billion over its nearly fifty year run.

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Barack Obama was the 44^th President of the United States and he served two terms in office from January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017. As the first African American elected to be President of the U.S., his first inauguration was a historic event attended by former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Although there is no official count, the inauguration is said to have been attended by approximately 1.1 - 1.8 million people who packed the National Mall from the West Front of the Capitol to past the Washington Monument. Metro set new record for highest ridership day of all time on that day with 1,120,000 rail trips, 423,000 bus trips and 1,721 MetroAccess trips for a total of 1,544,721 trips by attendees of the inauguration.

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Founded in 1893 as a loose alliance of Protestant foreign mission agencies in North America, the Foreign Missions Conference joined the National Council of the Churches of Christ in 1950. Missionary activity increased after World War II, as multiple regions faced major upheavals. Post-world war missionaries often focused on education and health issues in addition to their religious calling.

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The Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo is located in Brookfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The zoo opened in 1934 and currently cares for over 450 species of animals. Animal Adoption is a program where people can sponsor an animal through a monetary gift. The animal would remain at the zoo and be cared for by zookeepers and staff in their habitats. When an animal is adopted and the person has gifted a specific amount of money towards the upkeep of that animal, the person becomes an animal parent. Money not only goes towards upkeep, but also towards research and conservation of the species.

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Brookfield Zoo, or Chicago Zoological Park, is located in a suburb of Chicago, IL. It originally opened in 1934 and was highly regarded for using moats instead of fences to separate the animals from human traffic. In 1982, the zoo began opening the then-largest indoor rainforest exhibit Tropic World. The exhibit would eventually encompass three continents, but only Africa was opened in 1982 featuring the gorilla enclosure with Samson, Alpha, and Babs.

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The Battle Ground Rose Float was designed in 1955 by the Battle Ground High School marching band for Portland, Oregon’s Grand Floral Parade, which is held every year in June. Local residents who were part of the Battle Ground Rose Float boosters would encourage people to donate time and funds to the creation of the float each year.

The Battle Ground Rose Float is constructed and designed by volunteers, and every year a different theme is used. In 1960, that theme was “Honolulu,” and the Battle Ground marching band took first place in the “Cities outside of Oregon under 5000” category. After the Grand Floral Parade is over, the Rose Float is used in the Harvest Days Parade in July in Battle Ground before being broken down. Once the float is deconstructed, its parts are moved to the Battle Ground Rose Float Museum. 

Source:
History. (n.d.) Battle Ground Rose Float. Retrieved from http://battlegroundrosefloat.com/history/

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The Battle Ground Rose Float was designed in 1955 by the Battle Ground High School marching band for Portland, Oregon’s Grand Floral Parade, which is held every year in June. Local residents who were part of the Battle Ground Rose Float boosters would encourage people to donate time and funds to the creation of the float each year. 

The Battle Ground Rose Float is constructed and designed by volunteers, and every year a different theme is used. In 1959, that theme was “Lewis & Clark Expedition,” and the Battle Ground marching band took first place in the “Cities outside of Oregon under 5000” category. After the Grand Floral Parade is over, the Rose Float is used in the Harvest Days Parade in July in Battle Ground before being broken down. Once the float is deconstructed, its parts are moved to the Battle Ground Rose Float Museum. 

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The fifth convention of the American Retail Coal Association was held at the the Sherman Hotel in Chicago in June of 1939. The ARCA was a group of local, state, and regional coal associations located in 27 states across the U.S. and represented coal merchants who marketed the majority of retail coal each year.  During the 1939 convention, Lee Attridge of Flint, Michigan was elected as the association’s President.

In the first half of the 20th century, the retail coal industry, which included all coal that was used for residential and commercial use, made up approximately 20% of the coal market. The Chicago-based association was also part of the American Retail Federation, which was made up of more than 800,000 retail outlets across the country.

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The 44th Ward Fair was an outdoor celebration event held in Chicago from the early 1970s until 1985. The 44th Ward constitutes the area of downtown Chicago including the Boystown and Wrigleyville neighborhoods. The first fair likely took place in 1972 as a way for Alderman Richard Simpson to raise money for projects and services in his ward. Events included ethnic food, concerts, carnival games, and more. For the 1979 fair, members of the Chicago Hustle, a women’s professional basketball team, were showcased in a free throw competition. 

The fair holds significance in local gay rights history. The initial 1972 fair welcomed an exhibit by the ward’s gay organizations. The following year, however, the clergy of the host church refused to rent the space out to fair organizers unless contract language expressly forbade exhibitions in direct contradiction to church policy. In response, a group of more than 30 protested the exclusion of the gay organizations. Local author, historian, and actor Studs Terkel happened to walk by the protest and asked its purpose. Once he learned why they were excluded, Terkel stormed the stage and gave a fiery speech denouncing the exclusion of gay people.

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Casimir Pulaski Day is a holiday that is observed in various cities throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York. Pulaski Days celebrate Polish culture through the remembrance of heroic nobleman, soldier, and military commander Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski (1745 – 1779), also known as Casimir Pulaski.  

After failing to lead an uprising against Russian domination in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Casimir Pulaski traveled to North America in 1777 to fight in the American Revolutionary war. While fighting for the Americans as a general in the continental army, Pulaski distinguished himself as a war hero, most notably by saving the life of George Washington. Pulaski has been deemed "the father of the American calvary" for his significant contributions to U.S. military history. In November 2006, President Barack Obama signed a joint resolution of the United States House and Senate officially making Pulaski an honorary U.S. citizen. Casimir Pulaski is one of only eight people to be awarded honorary U.S. citizenship.