Whether it’s a red zippered cardigan or a cozy mohair pullover, slip on your favorite sweater Thursday, March 20th for “Sweater Day”, the national birthday celebration of everyone’s favorite neighborhood pal, Fred Rogers. 

WCNY-TV Channel 24 will be celebrating “Sweater Day” from 12:30 p.m - 1 p.m. during the program “Food for Thought” when hosts Chris Xaver and George Kilpatrick will be chatting with guests David Katleski, Derwin Williams and Tim Butler of the Empire Brewing Company about the impact Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood had on their lives and the lives of their children. 

Rogers was the host of the longest-running series on public television, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, which premiered on PBS in 1968 and continues to air to this day.  By the final recording in 2001 the series had produced nearly 900 half-hour episodes. He was purportedly a kind-hearted, candid man who devoted his career to the development of children’s self-esteem and self-expression.  In “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, he helped children navigate the labyrinth of human emotions—from love to anger to trust—and gives youngsters (and even some of us older folks!) the opportunity to free their imaginations in the puppet-laden Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

“One of my best-loved books is called The World According to Mr. Rogers. It is filled with Fred Rogers’ quotes,” said Jean Moffit, Director of Member Services at WCNY.  “One of my favorite quotes from the book is: ‘Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.’  Millions of children had the unique opportunity to grow up learning so much about life from this wonderful man, but adults benefited from Mr. Rogers’ years of wisdom as well.”

Rogers’ dedication to children and to PBS was awe-inspiring.  In 1969, when federal funding for Public Broadcasting System (PBS) was in jeopardy, Rogers stood up before the U.S. Subcommittee on Communications and gave an impassioned speech imploring them to reconsider plans to cut funding, asking them to invest instead in the positive social and emotional children’s programming PBS offered.  Senator John Pastore, noticeably touched by Rogers’ message, ended the hearing by saying to Rogers: “Looks like you just earned [that funding].”

So, slip on a sweater, sit back and celebrate “Sweater Day” Mister Rogers’ style!