The Amazing Story – How Houston’s 713 Day Became An “Unofficial” City Holiday
Hey Guys - if you didn't know already, I spend a bit of time on Houston radio mostly with The Madd Hatta Morning Show on 97.9 the Box. Why do you I tell you this? Well, it has a lot to do with today July 13th or 713 Day in the city of Houston. I kinda invented it without trying to invent it. Yes, it was a real "Eureka!" moment. Last year, I went to Facebook to explain how it all went down. Here is the text from that post...
Hello everyone! Today is July 13th aka 7-1-3 day - a day to celebrate all things Houston. This year, a lot of people have been asking me about it since my good friend Jmac has mentioned I came up with it awhile back. BTW- Jmac is the most honest guy I know - he cannot and will not tell a lie - that's why he's been mentioning me - thanks Mac! Anyways, the questions I've been getting lately - how did you come up with it? Is Mac joking? How did it happen? Well, unless someone else started it in the 80's or early 90's - I guess I would have to say "yes." So, since everyone loves a great origin story...here we go...The Birth of 713 Day. It was back in the early 2010's that Bishop Beazy (a crazy preacher played by me- spoiler alert) was a daily feature at 7:50 on the Madd Hatta. Everyday I'd have to come up with at least two minutes of comedy with a daily blessing. Well, inspiration struck as I thought - the Bishop also needs to have some celebration at his church - why not create Houston based celebrations based upon calendar dates. The first crop of this bit included 7-1-3 (July 13th) Day - a day to celebrate all things Houston, 5-0-4 (May 4th)- to celebrate all things Louisiana, 4-4 (April 4th) to celebrate Acres Homes. I reached my goal for that day and made Madd Hatta, Jmac, Kooper and Nnete laugh. That was my goal for everyday LOL. This would be a recurring bit - I would mention the days and add even more crazy days. In 2019 - I added 610 day (June 6th) were people would celebrate by continuously riding around the 610 loop and 281 day (February 81st or April 21st) to celebrate Houston's other area code. Pure nonsense, but funny. Since then, people have taken it and run with it. Do I mind? No. If something I did may have put a smile on your face, inspired others to do good things or put some money in someone else's pocket - I'm cool. I'm in radio and to try to help make someone else's day a little better. So, enjoy 713 day - I don't need a plaque, I don't need to shake any politician's hand, I don't need credit...I'm just happy it evolved from my little comedy bit. Yeaaaaah!