July Newsletter

July brings National Blueberry Month, the prime time for the little blue fruit. It’s one of only a few fruits native to North America, and the U.S. is the world’s largest producer of blueberries, growing about 600 million pounds of wild and cultivated varieties each year.

Steve Dean……………….. Executive Director

Sal Vasquez………………….. Business Office Manager

Hazel Montoya……………… Health & Wellness Dir.

Emilio Avina……………….. Dining Service Director

Orlando LaRosa…………………. Maintenance Director

Cynthia Rodriguez ………….Sales & Marketing Director

Eva Hall…………………. Program Director

When the summertime temperatures rise, one way to cool off is to put on your bathing suit and go for a swim. Soak up some facts about this wardrobe staple.

• Early styles of swimwear were extremely modest. Women wore ankle-length, long-sleeved bathing gowns. Men’s suits covered their chests and legs.
• The term “swimming suit” was first used in 1921 in magazine ads created by Jantzen, an Oregon swimsuit manufacturer.
• In the 1930s, Olympic champion swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who went on to acting fame as Tarzan, modeled one of the first brands of swim trunks.
• On July 5, 1946, the bikini made quite a splash when it debuted in France. The two-piece design was very daring at the time.
• Movie actresses Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot helped popularize the bikini.
• The invention of nylon and spandex made swimsuits more flexible and formfitting.
• Surfing culture and the beach party films of the 1950s and ’60s sparked new and colorful swimsuit fashions for both women and men.

Expressing national pride “from sea to shining sea,” the stirring anthem “America the Beautiful” turns 125 this month.

The song’s lyrics are the words of a poem written by Katharine Lee Bates, who was an English professor at Massachusetts’ Wellesley College. In 1893, while on a trip to Colorado, Bates visited Pikes Peak, and was struck by the view of natural beauty from the mountain and, in her words, “the sea-like expanse of fertile country … under those ample skies.”

Inspired, she finished her poem during the trip, but didn’t publish it until two years later. The first version appeared in a Massachusetts newspaper, The Congregationalist, on July 4, 1895.

For a while, “America the Beautiful” was sung to the melodies of various folk tunes, including “Auld Lang Syne.” But it was a hymn titled “Materna,” composed in 1882 by Samuel A. Ward, that became the most common music for Bates’ lyrics and is still used today. Ward, a church musician from New Jersey, never met the poet, but their combined talents resulted in what has been called “an expression of patriotism at its finest.”

“Do you want fries with that?” It’s a question that many folks answer with an enthusiastic “Yes!”

Despite their name, it’s difficult to determine the exact origin of french fries. Potatoes, native to South America, arrived in Europe in the mid-1500s, and Spain, France and Belgium all claim to be the place where the vegetable was first served cut up and fried in oil.

U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, who spent time in France as an ambassador, is credited with introducing french fries to America when he requested that a White House dinner in 1802 include “potatoes served in the French manner.” By that time, street carts selling deep-fried foods were common in France, and chefs there had also popularized the julienne technique, the cutting of food into long, thin strips. Both of these preparation methods likely led to the name french fried potatoes, which was eventually shortened to fries.

As a side dish or snack, hot and crispy fries are now offered in a variety of options, including crinkle-cut, shoestring, waffle, curly and steak fries.

Enjoy the Fourth of July with these movies that celebrate the red, white and blue.

“Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942). This biographical musical stars James Cagney as Broadway entertainer George M. Cohan, who composed the celebrated tunes “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and the World War I anthem “Over There.”

“The Longest Day” (1962). With an all-star international cast, this drama follows the 1944 D-Day invasion from multiple points of view.

“Glory” (1989). Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman star in this Civil War drama about one of the first African American regiments in the Union Army.

“Independence Day” (1996). An invasion by space aliens, a Fourth of July mission, and a rousing speech about saving mankind make this action movie a favorite.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011). With a superhero sporting red, white and blue and a World War II setting, this Marvel Comics adventure radiates U.S. pride

Stretching on a regular basis helps to strengthen your muscles and increase your range of motion, which can make everyday physical activities easier. The following stretches are simple ones that can even be done from bed. Check with your health care provider before beginning a new routine.

Hands. Spread out your fingers and extend them until you feel a stretching sensation at the base of each finger. Then touch each finger, one at a time, to your thumb. Repeat with your other hand.

Legs. Lie on your back and bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the bed. Lift one leg, supporting your thigh with your hands if needed. Rotate your lifted ankle in a clockwise motion, then counterclockwise. Repeat the exercise with your other leg.

Body stretch. Lie on your side with your legs together and knees bent. Extend both arms in front of your chest, palms pressed together. Imagine your arms are the covers of a book, then “open the book” by lifting the top arm and stretching toward the other side of your body as far as you comfortably can. Slowly return your arm to the closed position. Repeat three to five times.

• 1922: Johnny Weissmuller breaks a world record. The future Olympic champion and Hollywood actor was the first person to swim 100 meters in under one minute.
• 1938: On the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Eternal Light Peace Memorial at the Civil War site in Pennsylvania. An eternal flame burns atop the monument’s 47-foot-tall stone tower.
• 1957: Jack Paar debuts as host of TV’s “Tonight” show.
• 1969: Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong takes “one giant leap for mankind,” becoming the first man to walk on the moon.
• 1972: “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers is the No. 1 song on the music charts.
• 1985: After three months of consumer complaints about New Coke, the Coca-Cola Co. announces it is bringing back the soft drink’s original formula.
• 1991: Major League Baseball approves adding two new teams, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies.
• 2003: The last classic-style Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the production line.
• 2012: The 30th Summer Olympics open in London.
• 2018: In Thailand, 12 boys and their soccer coach are rescued after being trapped in a cave flooded by monsoon rains. The 18-day mission riveted the world.