SKANEATELES - Marjorie Parker is excited to celebrate her eighth birthday this weekend. She plans on taking advantage of some happy hour deals and visiting friends in New York City.
Parker is a leap year baby. The Skaneateles resident's eighth birthday is on Friday, even though she was born in 1976.
“I make more of a big deal about it now,” she said. “When I was younger I would always celebrate it in February because it was the last day of February.”
It was only as she grew older when she began to explore the world of leap year babies. She found an honor society for those born on the day that comes around every four years. In Syracuse, where she works for the Employment Store, bars offer happy hour specials for those with rare birthdays, and she will get a hotel room for a 29 percent discount when she travels to New York City this weekend.
When she was younger, Parker was frustrated because she was born on the special day and couldn't celebrate her “real” birthday each year like her classmates. She created a weeklong celebration she likes to call Margi Gras to make up for what she used to think of as “bad luck.”
This year's celebration is something even more special, because Feb. 29 won't fall on a Friday again until 2036. Leap years are a way to balance out the calendar year. Each year has 365 and a quarter days. The extra day in February - the shortest month - is the four year's extra quarter day.
Julius Caesar is often believed to be the inventor of leap year concept. He added days to the Roman calendar in 45 BC to ensure festivals occurred in the same season each year.
Only about 200,000 people were born on Feb. 29 in the U.S. Parker works part time at the Blue Water Grill, where one of the cooks also was born on the extra day.
“It always strikes up interesting conversation,” she said “If you meet (another leap year baby) it's kind of rare.”
When Parker was 21, she had issues with bouncers in bars because her birth date didn't match her driver's license expiration date.
Parker sometimes still has issues when filling out documents, especially online. Sometimes her birth date in considered invalid when she is filling out her personal information online.
“I used to think it was bad luck, because it wasn't my real birthday (every year),” Parker said. “Now I think, I'm special, and when my real birthday comes, it's a big deal.”
“I make more of a big deal about it now,” she said. “When I was younger I would always celebrate it in February because it was the last day of February.”
It was only as she grew older when she began to explore the world of leap year babies. She found an honor society for those born on the day that comes around every four years. In Syracuse, where she works for the Employment Store, bars offer happy hour specials for those with rare birthdays, and she will get a hotel room for a 29 percent discount when she travels to New York City this weekend.
When she was younger, Parker was frustrated because she was born on the special day and couldn't celebrate her “real” birthday each year like her classmates. She created a weeklong celebration she likes to call Margi Gras to make up for what she used to think of as “bad luck.”
This year's celebration is something even more special, because Feb. 29 won't fall on a Friday again until 2036. Leap years are a way to balance out the calendar year. Each year has 365 and a quarter days. The extra day in February - the shortest month - is the four year's extra quarter day.
Julius Caesar is often believed to be the inventor of leap year concept. He added days to the Roman calendar in 45 BC to ensure festivals occurred in the same season each year.
Only about 200,000 people were born on Feb. 29 in the U.S. Parker works part time at the Blue Water Grill, where one of the cooks also was born on the extra day.
“It always strikes up interesting conversation,” she said “If you meet (another leap year baby) it's kind of rare.”
When Parker was 21, she had issues with bouncers in bars because her birth date didn't match her driver's license expiration date.
Parker sometimes still has issues when filling out documents, especially online. Sometimes her birth date in considered invalid when she is filling out her personal information online.
“I used to think it was bad luck, because it wasn't my real birthday (every year),” Parker said. “Now I think, I'm special, and when my real birthday comes, it's a big deal.”
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