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After he was born, his father played the game Lucky 7, said Carson’s mom, Jennifer Ruppert.
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Stephanie Burt, of Colorado Springs, Colo., gets fitted in her bridesmaid dress by Ruby Oian, left, and Elle Eaton at Bridal Boutique Thursday in Winona. Burt and Eaton will be in Nick Calhoun and Katie LaFleur’s wedding today. (Photo by Andrew Link/Winona Daily News) |
And he’s a lucky boy. He has a blood disorder that caused him to have two blood transfusions at birth, as well as several transfusions and two surgeries in the following years. He even had part of his spleen removed.
But now he’s much healthier, Ruppert said. He’s excited to celebrate this birthday.
“Nothing’s ever held him back,” Ruppert said.
Much to the family’s surprise, the boy would have his golden birthday on one of the most memorable — and popular — days of the century: an alignment of sevens, the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year.
In a culture that considers seven a lucky number, today is an auspicious date.
There’s no real numerical reason, said Adrian Rice, an associate professor of mathematics at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., who specializes in mathematics history.
“It only happens once a century; therefore, once in peoples’ lifetimes,” Rice said. “If it happened every week nobody would think it remarkable.”
Ruppert is not superstitious. And she hadn’t even realized until recently the significance of the day.
Once she thought about it, the odd coincidences started rolling in. The back of Carson Ruppert’s softball jersey number this last year displayed a “7.” And the jokes about his 77th birthday on 7-7-77 haven’t stopped.
As for Carson, he thinks it’s pretty cool that his birthday is on such a special day.
Wedding bells
Bridal shops, caterers, cake-makers, decorators and wedding planners have been busy filling orders and making last minute touches for couples who wanted 07-07 as their wedding day.
The Bridal Boutique in Winona serviced 10 wedding parties for today.
“The seventh will definitely be a day of reckoning,” said owner Ruby Oium. “I do think it’s the luck thing and that they like the sound of it.”
Dianna BanDeinse from SteakShop Catering Service of Winona had two weddings today, which is unusual.
“It’s not a crisis for us; it’s just extraordinary,” she said. “Typically, we don’t do two weddings on a Saturday because we cater off-site.”
Katie LaFleur and Nick Calhoun of Winona just thought the date sounded cool.
“It only happens once in a lifetime,” Calhoun said. “I like the fact that lucky number seven is easy to remember … It’s better than 6-6-6.”
“It wasn’t in the back of my mind that I would get married on this day,” LaFleur said. “It was kind of by luck.”
Knowing the date would be popular, the couple started making arrangements more than a year ago.
On Thursday, Calhoun and LaFleur stopped at the hall to do the seating arrangements. The linen-covered tables were set with silver and China, and white cloth with burnt-orange bows adorned the chairs.
The only thing left on their list: marriage.
7’s in your life
7 days in a week
7 seas
7 continents
7 pillars of wisdom
7 deadly sins
7 colors in the rainbow
7 openings in the human head
A new home
Commonweal Theatre celebrates the completion of its new $3.5 million building today. The new space is four times as big as its old home in a former movie theater and will provide the option of different staging, like theater in the round, said actor and administrator Stef Dickens.
Today they’ll host a block party, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony, games and music.
Organizers picked the day as an opening day because it added to the grandiosity of this project, Dickens said.
“It just happened that July was a good month, and it seemed like a really momentous day. We can put it down in history… It’s just a funny quirk that goes along with it.”
She said this day aligns with other quirky superstitions n like telling other actors that “I will hold you up” instead of saying, “break a leg.”
“We’re actors, of course we’re superstitious,” she said.
The big 5-0
Polly Gower turns 50 today.
Perhaps this day will be as memorable as her golden birthday. Gower visited Colorado with her family that day, July 7, 1964.
It had just rained, and she saw a rainbow against the mountains.
“That’s when I decided seven’s my number,” she said.
She’s never bought a lottery ticket and said she’s not particularly superstitious. But she’s going to do her 50th birthday right.
She’s having a private party and has hired a Beatles cover band to play.
“I’m feeling lucky, I’m feeling fortunate,” she said. “I’m feeling like it’s going to be a good day.”
