Ask most CR employees, and they’ll most likely tell you their favorite season is fall. Northern Michigan weather is still beautiful, and there’s a nice lull between the crazy days of summer and the jolly-yet-hectic weeks leading up to Christmas.
What is Leaf Day?
The only problem is, there isn’t an official holiday that time of year. So with a nod toward our whimsical company value of ‘Beaches’ (as in “Life, Liberty, Beaches & Pie), which reminds us work should be done with a light heart, we took it upon ourselves to create our own holiday: Leaf Day.
Set for the third Monday in October, not coincidentally the week following Leif Erikson Day, this new Republic holiday has been embraced by our employees with gusto. Last year, Laura Ann from Marketing took her dog Pepper on a long walk on a very deserted, very peaceful stretch of Lake Michigan beach. Jason, VP of Sales & Services, took his sons and a buddy of theirs paddling on the Upper Platte River. Grand Cafe Culinary Manager Chris spent Leaf Day making memories while hunting with family and friends.
And of course Bob and his boys made every precious moment of their stolen freedom from work and school count. They conducted an archaeological dig under Miller Barn where they unearthed a tin cup, a Coke bottle, and not one but two small animal skeletons. Lunch under a towering pine tree was followed by paddling on Bass Lake and the discovery of an old cabin on the shore of Lake Michigan.
When is Leaf Day?
This year Monday, Oct. 15, will mark the first time all Cherry Republic locations — including our HQs, retail stores, and mail order will be closed for the day so every* employee can enjoy this unique Republic perk. Some may choose to rake leaves, others will play in them, and still others might just sit on a beach and take it all in. That’s the great thing about creating your own holiday; you get to make up the rules!
*NOTE: Our web lady WILL be on hand to make sure your orders go through without a hitch on October 15, 2018. However, we can’t disclose her actual office location that day.