The Wilson’s a family from Pawnee, Indiana have decided to add a plaid table cloth to their Plaid Week festivities. Betty Wilson, mother of two, told us “we put out a flag on the Fourth of July and a tree for Christmas, but had nothing to commemorate Plaid Week. Thats why I decided on the table cloth. The dinning table is the center of our family; it is where we come together as a family. This is where we eat, play games and talk. In many ways I feel like the dinning table is metaphor for plaid.”

Greg Wilson, Betty’s husband had a slightly different take. “Plaid Week? Whats that? Is this another one of those crazy thing Betty found on the interweb? I don’t care what is on the table as long as there is food. The table cloth could be any color, shape, size. If you ask me a table cloth is just another thing that has to be washed. And guess who has to fold the thing when it comes out of the wash? Yeah me.”

However you celebrate plaid we solute you. Don’t forget to drop us a line at david@plaidweek.com, we want to hear about your Plaid Week.

Photo credits: table, family

This year the men’s and women’s snowboarding teams are taking patriotism to another level. The 2010 uniforms were designed with Plaid Week in mind as seen above.

The new uniform, Burton’s Creative Director Greg Dasychyn says, is equally American — but in a very less uniform sort of way: a plaid jacket and blue jeans.

“There’s nothing more American than blue jeans,” says Dasychyn, “and this time around we wanted something that spoke more to snowboarding, a look that speaks more to the sport’s individualism and character, and a look that is popular in the sport right now.”

Burton’s Design Czar, John McOlsen, felt that “I could not think of a better way to sum up the spirit of the games than with plaid. When we found out that the games would overlap with Plaid Week we knew what we had to do.”

Here at PlaidWeek.com we could not think of a better way to commemorate Plaid Week 2010 than for Shaun White to bring home the gold.

via espn

Yoshi – Why are you participating in Plaid Week?

Akemi – I love everything American, when I heard about Plaid Week my mind was blown.

Takara – Why not? I would do anything that involves plaid.

Yoshi – Akemi, I noticed you seated in a rather precarious position earlier, why?

Akemi – The only thing I like more than plaid are Gargoyles. I have found that sitting on something as uncomfortable as a bottle really helps me develop my Gargoyle stance.

Takara – What?!?!?!?! (this is then the photo below was taken)

Akemi – I want to be a Gargoyle. Sometimes at night I sit up on the roof of my building and watch the city.

Takara – What?!?!?!?!

Akemi – I was going to wait until after we were married to tell you this but I quit my job. I am now a full time Gargoyle

Takara – What?!?!?!?! #&$%@#$

It was sooner after this that Takara stormed away, we don’t think these two will be spending many more Plaid Weeks together.

If Chuck Norris does not wear plaid his aura will melt your face off.

Want another? Mike Huckabee was going to choose Chuck Norris to be his running-mate. If Huckabee announced this earlier there would have been no way he could have lost the election.

If you are looking for more interesting facts on Mr. Norris go to Google, enter “Where is Chuck Norris” into the search box and then press “I’m Felling Lucky”.

To find out why and more about James head over to Gizmodo.

One a side note, Plaid Week is a little more than two weeks away so mark your calendars and keep checking back for the latest.

In 1957 a group of Hepcats, Hipsters, and Barn Burners started throwing exclusive parties at the Chateau Marmont, dubbed The Great Plaid Parties. Besides knowing the right people one had to be wearing plaid to be allowed in. As word spread these parties quickly became a hot spot for Hollywood’s social elite. It is rumored that Lana Turner was once denied admission for not wearing plaid.

Life reporter John Graham, was the only reporter ever allowed behind the velvet rope. In the October 1957 of Life he published a piece that both revealed the secret happenings of these soirees and ended them. What happened at these parties had long been the subject of much speculation. Louie Armstrong and Sammy Davis Jr. would often share the stage as James Dean, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Stack, Ingrid Bergman, and Anthony Perkins took to the dance floor. The Great Plaid Parties were where Henry Fonda and Afdera Franchetti first met.

In 1957 plaid may have been accepted among the Hip it was a different story in Middle America where it was still thought of it as the fabric of a counter culture movement; outlaw fashion. Until Graham’s piece the identities of the attendees had been secret protecting them from the scrutiny that awaited. In October the backlash began; many studios threatened to terminate the contracts of their stars unless the Great Plaid Parties were disbanded. Today all that remains are a few photographs and the memories of those few who were there. Luck for us we live in a time when plaid is honored in a week long celebration.

Images via: Black Watch

With everything going on we are glad The Miami Herald has the time to pick on Marco Rubio, a senate candidate in Florida, for wearing plaid. Yes, plaid of all things.

We have two things to say about this matter:
Marco Rubio – we know nothing about your politics or beliefs but we support your decision to wear plaid.
Miami Herald – we will never buy your paper and would like to encourage our readers to do the same.

The “Scarecrow Bandit” is a Chicagoland bank robber who received his moniker for his, gardening gloves, broad-brimmed floppy hat, sawed-off wooden broomstick and unfortunate use of a plaid shirt. It is a true shame that plaid is being defiled as if it were polka dots. We here at Plaid Week hope he is caught soon before he can do any further damage to plaid’s good name.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Chicago FBI at (312) 829-1199.

The folks over at latfh.com happened to capture one of those majestic occurrences. While some may call them hipsters we have our opinion. From left to right we have Cousin It from The Adams Family before his hair fully grew out. Who would have thought he was such a fan of plaid. Duckie from Pretty in Pink and some guy with a purse full of sunglasses from the 80s and a plaid cape.

Spectators are reporting the woman pictured above was responsible for causing a breakdown on the carousel ride yesterday evening. A woman, who has been identified as Beatrice Grant, of Ramona forced her way on to ride ignoring the maximum weight guidelines. We spoke to an eyewitness who asked to remain anonymous. “It was like she was possessed. I have never seen such an intense look on a human face. It reminded me of a rabid wolverine attacking a baby alpaca.” Another onlooker had this to say “The woman charged through the line in a gust of plaid.”

Officials cited Grant’s disregard for weight guidelines as the cause for the ride’s breakdown. Unfortunately this was an antique carousel with a rare 1905 motor. Fair officials have sent away to France to get needed part but fear they will not be able to fix the ride before the fair ends.

It is always sad when plaid is at the center of such an atrocity. We feel sorry for all of those who were on the ride at the time of the breakdown. Even though it is an inanimate object it looks like the horse Grant rode suffered the most. Really, look above, that horse is in pain.