August is the month for vacations, pool parties, back-to-school shopping and cleaning up the house before the busy fall season.
Extra Mile Powerwashing techs have been crisscrossing the West Virginia Panhandle — including Winchester, VA — and cleaning houses for summer gatherings. Now they are ready to help get homes ready for the busy fall season. If you’ve put off that exterior cleaning that NEEDS to happen, don’t fret any longer. Our techs have some August openings to clean your siding, walkways, driveways, decks, roof, etc….Then, your home will be ready as the weather breaks, football season starts and fall moves in.
While you check your calendar for an August pressure washing date, enjoy these great facts about the eighth month of the year.
August Facts
The name “August” was given by Roman emperor August, in 8 B.C. Until then, the Romans called the month “Sextilis,” meaning the sixth month of their calendar. August claimed this month his own because most of his victories occurred during this month. Many other versions of the name designate this month as Harvest Month.
Lammas Day (Aug. 1): This day marked the beginning of the harvest, especially the first wheat and corn crops. It derives from the ancient English festival the Gule of August, a pagan dedication of the first fruits the early English church, which later converted to Christian usage.
August 19th is National Aviation Day, chosen for the birthday of Orville Wright who piloted the first recorded flight of a powered heavier-than-air machine in 1903.
August’s birthstone is peridot, which is said to symbolize strength and healing power. Babies born in August are lucky to be guarded by peridot’s good fortune. Peridot is the rare gem-quality form of the mineral olivine, which appears in various shades of green.
August in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to February in the Southern Hemisphere.
August’s flower is the gladiolus. The flower was discovered in Africa in the 17-18th centuries and was initally used as food (don’t try this at home!).
Famous birthdays in August include Barack Obama, Cal Ripkin, Jr., Herman Melville, Hulk Hogan, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Affleck, Madonna, Robert DeNiro, Peter O’Toole and Cameron Diaz.
“In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke their tender limbs.” – Henry David Thoreau
August Events in History
Aug. 1, 1981 – MTV network debuted on cable television, actually playing music videos 24 hours a day. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first video shown, followed by Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run.”
Aug. 2, 1776 – The official signing of the United States Declaration of Independence took place.
Aug. 3, 1936 – Jesse Owens won the 100 meter dash, beating ‘the world’s fastest man Ralph Metcalfe at the Berlin Olympics.
Aug. 4, 70 A.D. – The Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.
For more important August event dates, click here.
Astronomy in August
- August’s full moon, the Full Sturgeon Moon, rises on August 26 at 7:56 a.m. EDT. See more about the full Moon for August.
- August is a wonderful month for star gazing! It’s also the month of the Perseid meteor shower, which reach their peak between August 11 and 13.
- A partial solar eclipse occurs on August 11; in North America, it’s visible only in very NE Canada.
August Folklore
- As August, so February.
- Observe on what day in August the first heavy fog occurs, and expect a hard frost on the same day in October.
- If the first week of August is unusually warm, The winter will be white and long.
- So many August fogs, so many winter mists.
Contact Us in August
To schedule our techs for an August pressure washing, call Extra Mile’s Bunker Hill, WV office at 304-904-0500 or contact us here. We’re always happy to provide a free estimate. Our techs are experts in roof cleaning, house washing, and concrete and deck cleaning, since they have years of experience. We use the softwash pressure washing approach. This technique uses gentle water pressure and detergents to clean without damaging surfaces.
To read reviews from satisfied pressure washing customers, click here. Click on this link to read our pressure washing blog.