Post by Freddy Peterson on Jan 5, 2022 0:52:17 GMT
People.com
Betty White's Hometown to Mark Her 100th Birthday with Special Holiday in Her Honor
Oak Park, Ill. will celebrate the first Betty White Day on Jan. 17, the day White would have turned 100
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Chicago Sun Times
Oak Park to honor Betty White with official day; social media celebrates with #BettyWhiteChallenge
White’s hometown will proclaim Jan, 17 as “Betty White Day,” while Twitter challenges everyone to help raise funds in her name on behalf of animal shelters everywhere.
Betty White's Hometown to Mark Her 100th Birthday with Special Holiday in Her Honor
Oak Park, Ill. will celebrate the first Betty White Day on Jan. 17, the day White would have turned 100
Betty White is getting her very own holiday.
The late comedian, who died Friday at age 99, is being honored with Betty White Day on her birthday Jan. 17 in her Illinois hometown, TMZ reports. Oak Park, Ill. is establishing the new holiday this year, village president Vicki Scaman told the outlet.
As part of the celebration, Oak Park businesses, including Mickey's Restaurant, will create and offer their own "Betty White specials." Mickey's will sell a meal made up of some of White's favorite foods.
The special will include a hot dog, fries and diet coke, according to TMZ. White told PEOPLE in 2012 that "hot dogs and Red Vines and potato chips and French fries" were her "favorite foods."
While Mickey's will be serving some of White's go-to savory dishes, Turano Bakery will mark what would have been the comedian's 100th birthday with "a giant birthday cake," TMZ reports.
Betty White Day will also include a mural contest. The winning design of White will be painted in Oak Park's downtown, per TMZ.
White was born in Oak Park in 1922, although her family later moved to California. According to TMZ, White returned to visit the Illinois town years after she left.
White's agent and friend Jeff Witjas confirmed her death in a statement shared with PEOPLE Friday.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas shared. "I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don't think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again."
He added, "Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home early this morning."
White was known for her work on shows like The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland. She also appeared in multiple films during her decades-long career, including The Proposal and You Again.
The late comedian, who died Friday at age 99, is being honored with Betty White Day on her birthday Jan. 17 in her Illinois hometown, TMZ reports. Oak Park, Ill. is establishing the new holiday this year, village president Vicki Scaman told the outlet.
As part of the celebration, Oak Park businesses, including Mickey's Restaurant, will create and offer their own "Betty White specials." Mickey's will sell a meal made up of some of White's favorite foods.
The special will include a hot dog, fries and diet coke, according to TMZ. White told PEOPLE in 2012 that "hot dogs and Red Vines and potato chips and French fries" were her "favorite foods."
While Mickey's will be serving some of White's go-to savory dishes, Turano Bakery will mark what would have been the comedian's 100th birthday with "a giant birthday cake," TMZ reports.
Betty White Day will also include a mural contest. The winning design of White will be painted in Oak Park's downtown, per TMZ.
White was born in Oak Park in 1922, although her family later moved to California. According to TMZ, White returned to visit the Illinois town years after she left.
White's agent and friend Jeff Witjas confirmed her death in a statement shared with PEOPLE Friday.
"Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever," Witjas shared. "I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don't think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again."
He added, "Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home early this morning."
White was known for her work on shows like The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland. She also appeared in multiple films during her decades-long career, including The Proposal and You Again.
****
Chicago Sun Times
Oak Park to honor Betty White with official day; social media celebrates with #BettyWhiteChallenge
White’s hometown will proclaim Jan, 17 as “Betty White Day,” while Twitter challenges everyone to help raise funds in her name on behalf of animal shelters everywhere.
Betty White became America’s sweetheart, but first, she was Oak Park’s little bundle of joy.
The late actress, who passed away on Dec. 31 at her Brentwood, California, home, was born in the Chicago suburb on Jan. 17, 1922. And though she and her family moved to the West Coast just a year later, White often spoke fondly of her Oak Park roots and would return to visit family members.
In her honor, “Betty White Day” will be officially celebrated in Oak Park on Jan. 17, which would have marked her 100th birthday. The story was first reported Tuesday by TMZ.com.
Oak Park Village president Vicki Scaman told TMZ the official celebration comes in the wake of residents seeking to honor their town’s favorite daughter. The official proclamation will be delivered in the coming days at a special memorial commemorating White’s life.
TMZ and People.com report there will be various discounts and specials offered by local businesses to celebrate White. According to People, Mickey’s Restaurant (525 N. Harlem) will be offering a special on a hot dog, fries and diet coke meal (White’s favorites), while Turano Bakery will craft a massive birthday cake in her honor.
The celebration, which will reportedly become an annual event, this year falls on the official holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
And White’s 100th birthday is being celebrated on social media with the Twitter hashtag #BettyWhiteChallenge. Fans are asked to donate $5 (or more) to local animal shelters or rescue organizations in her name, or if possible to adopt a shelter pet. White famously championed care and love for all animals.
In a 2012 interview with Smithsonian Magazine, White revealed her love for animals was born in her: “Both my mother and father were tremendous animal lovers. They imbued in me the fact that, to me, there isn’t an animal on the planet that I don’t find fascinating and want to learn more about.”
White was famously associated with the Los Angeles Zoo, where her work behind the scenes since the late 1960s (she also served as a zoo board member) led to many improvements at the zoo including the opening of a new gorilla habitat several years ago. In 2012, she authored a book, “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo,” about her animal pals and her work at the zoo.
In addition, plans are still a go for the documentary tribute film “Betty WhIte: A Celebration,” which is scheduled to screen in more than 900 movie theaters across the country at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. on Jan. 17. The film, which includes White’s final on-camera appearance (recorded 10 days before her death), features clips from her most celebrated TV and film appearances as well as a host of special guests including Ryan Reynolds, Carol Burnett, Valerie Bertinelli and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who recall their friend and collaborator. Tickets (and a full list of participating theaters) are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.
Plans for White’s funeral and burial have not yet been made public. Her agent, Jeff Witja, told a Wisconsin ABC-TV affiliate station that contrary to reports, White would not buried in Mineral Point, Wisconsin (a suburb of Madison), where her late husband, TV personality Allen Ludden was born is buried. He intimated White could be buried in Illinois or California, according to the report.
The late actress, who passed away on Dec. 31 at her Brentwood, California, home, was born in the Chicago suburb on Jan. 17, 1922. And though she and her family moved to the West Coast just a year later, White often spoke fondly of her Oak Park roots and would return to visit family members.
In her honor, “Betty White Day” will be officially celebrated in Oak Park on Jan. 17, which would have marked her 100th birthday. The story was first reported Tuesday by TMZ.com.
Oak Park Village president Vicki Scaman told TMZ the official celebration comes in the wake of residents seeking to honor their town’s favorite daughter. The official proclamation will be delivered in the coming days at a special memorial commemorating White’s life.
TMZ and People.com report there will be various discounts and specials offered by local businesses to celebrate White. According to People, Mickey’s Restaurant (525 N. Harlem) will be offering a special on a hot dog, fries and diet coke meal (White’s favorites), while Turano Bakery will craft a massive birthday cake in her honor.
The celebration, which will reportedly become an annual event, this year falls on the official holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
And White’s 100th birthday is being celebrated on social media with the Twitter hashtag #BettyWhiteChallenge. Fans are asked to donate $5 (or more) to local animal shelters or rescue organizations in her name, or if possible to adopt a shelter pet. White famously championed care and love for all animals.
In a 2012 interview with Smithsonian Magazine, White revealed her love for animals was born in her: “Both my mother and father were tremendous animal lovers. They imbued in me the fact that, to me, there isn’t an animal on the planet that I don’t find fascinating and want to learn more about.”
White was famously associated with the Los Angeles Zoo, where her work behind the scenes since the late 1960s (she also served as a zoo board member) led to many improvements at the zoo including the opening of a new gorilla habitat several years ago. In 2012, she authored a book, “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo,” about her animal pals and her work at the zoo.
In addition, plans are still a go for the documentary tribute film “Betty WhIte: A Celebration,” which is scheduled to screen in more than 900 movie theaters across the country at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. on Jan. 17. The film, which includes White’s final on-camera appearance (recorded 10 days before her death), features clips from her most celebrated TV and film appearances as well as a host of special guests including Ryan Reynolds, Carol Burnett, Valerie Bertinelli and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who recall their friend and collaborator. Tickets (and a full list of participating theaters) are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.
Plans for White’s funeral and burial have not yet been made public. Her agent, Jeff Witja, told a Wisconsin ABC-TV affiliate station that contrary to reports, White would not buried in Mineral Point, Wisconsin (a suburb of Madison), where her late husband, TV personality Allen Ludden was born is buried. He intimated White could be buried in Illinois or California, according to the report.