Towns Lure Leapers
Sunday, February 29, 2004
By Rene Romo
Journal Southern
Bureau
ANTHONY— When Feb. 29 rolls around in the
self-proclaimed Leap Year Capital of the World,
one encounters a lot of people claiming to be a lot
younger than they look.
Colorado resident Ken Hardwick, a senior citizen born on
the elusive Feb. 29, said he turns 17 today.
An Illinois woman related how four years ago, when she
turned 10, in leap years, her daughter, 20 in
regular years, was chagrined to realize she was twice
her mother's age.
"My daughter was very upset," joked Karyn Rios.
"It's the fountain of youth," said another leap year
baby, Mary Ann Brown, of the age-reducing benefits
of having your birthday appear on the Gregorian calendar
once every four years. As if to make up for
lost birthdays snatched from them by cruel fate, dozens
of people born on leap day, so-called leapers,
from around the country have gathered in Anthony since
Thursday for the Fifth Quadrennial World Wide
Leap Year Festival. The four-day event ends today with
hot air balloon rides and a 1 p.m. parade
featuring the leapers.
"Yeah, you feel like a celebrity," said Lori Mayer, a
leaper who traveled from Thornton, N.H., to be part
of the parade the twin communities of Anthony in New
Mexico and Texas have staged. "You feel
important after four years of nothing."
The practice of adding a leap day, Feb. 29, to the
Gregorian calendar every four years was instituted
in 1582 to align the calendar with the solar year.
Brown, an Anthony Chamber of Commerce volunteer, was the
prime mover behind the communities'
decision to start advertising itself as the "Leap Year
Capital of the World" in 1988. Anthony, Texas,
is an incorporated town, while Anthony, N.M., is
unincorporated, but the communities share a single
post office in New Mexico.
Though the inaugural celebration involved nine leapers
attending a birthday party at Brown's auto parts
store, the event has grown considerably since then. The
2000 celebration was attended by 85 leapers
from at least 20 states, and one from Switzerland. Susan
Nash, wife of singer Graham Nash, wore a
mermaid costume for her role as the parade's featured
guest, and her husband gave a concert.
This year, at least 50 leapers made the trip to Anthony
for the parade and a big slice of cake, Brown said.
"We have people from coast to coast already celebrating
this event," Brown said.
Leapers arrived from Washington state and Washington,
D.C., for the big day, Brown said. But don't
think that leap year children do not celebrate their
birthdays, just because Feb. 29 appears only every
four years.
Some said they celebrate their special day on Feb. 28.
Others said they celebrate it the day after
Feb. 28, despite the objections of those who argue that
the birthday is not in March. Others, like
Connecticut resident Jack Vining who turns 18, er 72,
this year, celebrates on both days.
"In non-leap years, we celebrate two days ... because
I've been slighted," Vining said. "I didn't get one,
so I think I deserve two, and my family goes along with
it."
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