NATIONAL KOOL-AID DAYS

NATIONAL KOOL-AID DAYS

Oh yeeeeeeeaaaaah! Kool-Aid Days during the second weekend of August recognizes the childhood drink that has been around since 1927. This beverage holiday is not only a contemporary celebration for some, but also a time to walk down memory lane reminiscing about the younger days of friends, hot summer days and KOOL AID!

#KoolAidDays

Kool Aid was invented in 1927 by Edwin Perkins and originally named “Fruit Smack.” While the product originally sold as a concentrate, shipping problems helped spark the product's success. The expense of shipping the bottled concentrate prompted the manufacturer to switch to the powdered version we've all come to know and love. By the time the Great Depression hit, the price of Kool Aid was cut in half. The strategy paid off, and Kool-Aid kept its popularity through the Great Depression and beyond.

6 Cool Kool Aid Facts

1. Packages of Kool-Aid (minus the brand name) were included in soldiers' rations during World War II.

2. Davy Jones of the Monkeys appeared in television commercials for Kool-Aid in the sixties.

3. Kool Aid originally had six flavors: 1. Cherry; 2. Grape; 3. Orange; 4. Lemon; and 5. Root beer.

4. Kool Aid has a mascot known as the Kool-Aid Man. Although created in the 1950s, he didn't come into his own until the 1980s.

5. Baby Boomers will remember the cartoon “Kool-Aid Kids” of the 1960s.

6. Kool-Aid man now pops up occasionally on television in comedy shows like Robot Chicken and Family Guy. Kool-Aid is the official state soft drink of Nebraska.

National Kool Aid Days Celebrations

Each year during the second weekend in August, National Kool Aid Days is celebrated in Hastings, Nebraska. Weekend activities include live musical entertainment, an auction and a beauty pageant known as “Miss Kool-Aid Days.” Make plans to attend and enjoy Kool-Aid Days to try fried Kool-Aid, which is basically a pancake with Kool-Aid powder added in the mix.

Tell us how you are celebrating National Kool Aid Days on social media using the hashtag #KoolAidDays. Don't forget we want to photos and videos of your kool aid celebrations.

HISTORY

It seems Kraft Foods may have founded Kool-Aid Days. However, we are still researching whether this is true or not.