Guys, you have a 10-minute headstart at the sound of the gun!

Today I'm celebrating Sadie Hawkins Day!

This American folk event debuted in Al Capp's Li'l Abner comic strip on November 15, 1937. As the story was told, Sadie Hawkins was "the homeliest gal in the hills." Her father, Hekzebiah Hawkins, a prominent resident of Dogpatch, was worried that she would never find a husband and feared that Sadie would be living at home for the rest of his life. So, he declared the first annual Sadie Hawkins Day. On this day, in a foot race, the unmarried gals chased the town's bachelors. The rules were simple: all eligible Dogpatch bachelors stood at a starting line. When the mayor fired his pistol in the air, the bachelors would run for their miserable lives. Moments later, a second shot was fired and the town's unmarried women would take off in hot pursuit chasing after the men. The men who were dragged back to the starting line before dusk were required to marry their captor on the spot, a job carried out in relish by Marryin' Sam.

By the late 1930s, the Sadie Hawkins Day event swept the nation and became a national sensation. In 1938, Life magazine reported that more than 200 colleges held Sadie Hawkins Day events. It was not Al Capp's intention to have the event occur annually on a specific date. However, due to its enormous popularity and fan letters he received, the event became an annual event in the comic strip during the month of November for four decades. In the tradition of Sadie Hawkins Day, women and girls take the initiative and invite the man or boy of their choice out on a date. Sadie Hawkins Day Dances are still scheduled in many US high schools and colleges and retirement homes, especially in the Midwest and South.

Some advice for the ladies:

• Send a Sadie Hawkins Day e-card
  
• Read MSN's advice on how a woman can ask a man for a date
  
• To learn all the guys' secrets, read The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate -- And What Women Can Do To Come Out On Top

It's time for talkback! But, it's only fun if you participate! Post your comments!

• Tell us your favorite memory about Sadie Hawkins Day
  
• Guys, tell us what you really think about ladies asking a man out for a date
  

While you're thinking about what you want to post, watch the music video set to the song Sadie Hawkins Dance by the Ohio-based band Relient K, in which they discuss the anxiety of waiting to be asked to the dance by a girl.

Posted on YouTube by beautifuldreamer1289


Ladies, let's celebrate Sadie Hawkins Day this weekend together!
Men, keep those ringers on! Feel free to drop a hint to a special lady today about celebrating Sadie Hawkins Day!

Graphic credit: Sadie Hawkins' Day button designed by Frank Frazetta