Ginger Day is back to celebrate the fiery redheads in our lives.

Started by local redheads, including this reporter, to celebrate their birthdays, it’s a great way to celebrate all things redhead.

We are so excited to add a “No Souls” paddle with our friends at Bighorn Outdoor Specialists, an idea I completely stole from the Halloween witch paddle in my grandmother’s town in New Jersey that I’ve wanted to do for a while. God bless local business friends who say “yes, let’s do it!” when they come up with crazy ideas.

And of course a big thank you to all the companies that support me every year in my Ginger Day activities.

No, you don’t have to be a redhead to participate in these activities, but we love getting to know all the redheads out there.

Here’s what we have planned for this year’s Ginger Day, also known as one of this reporter’s favorite days:

• No Souls Paddle: Meet at Oddfellows Park around 10am. Bighorn has staff on site who are knowledgeable about river activities and they will send you a trailer full of kayaks and stand up paddle boards that you can try out for free for 30 minutes. All you have to do is sign a release. If you have your own kayaks or paddle boards, just jump in the river and float with us to your heart’s content until about 12-1pm.
• Elevation 3330: Grab a delicious strawberry margarita.
• The Blue Rose: 25 percent discount for all redheads and their friends.
• The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers: 20 percent off all red and orange yarns.
• The Wild Hare: They will have an as yet unnamed ginger cocktail.
• Teriyaki Madness: Teriyaki Madness is seeing RED! On Ginger Day, August 17th, get 10% off any bowl of Spicy Chicken Teriyaki or Orange Chicken (or Spicy Orange Chicken, too)! Just mention Ginger Day to receive your discount. Cannot be combined with any other discount, special offer or promotion.
• Pizazz: A ginger cocktail and a ginger treat.
• Fire Pizza: The Red Head Pizza
• Great Falls Public Library: The lovely librarians there have created a red book display in honor of Ginger Day and we couldn’t be more excited. The library is celebrating the end of the adult summer reading program at Annie’s Tap House with Taqueria Ibarra Montana, Live music and some quizzes from 5-8pm
• Touch-A-Truck: The fourth annual Touch-A-Truck will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the 100-500 blocks of Central Avenue downtown and is hosted by the Junior League of Great Falls. If you’re having fun down there, snap a photo of yourself and/or your kids wearing three red/orange/red-inspired things and email it to [email protected] by August 22nd for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to downtown.
• Farmers Market: The Great Falls Farmers Market is Saturday from 8:30am-1pm at the Civic Center. Same rules apply, take a photo of yourself/your kids/friends with three things that are red/orange/ginger and email it to [email protected] by August 22nd for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to downtown.
• If you happen to see Jenn downtown on Saturday, she’ll have some of her new pens with The Electric’s red logo to give away.