Missouri Day is an observance in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, currently held on the third Wednesday in October. Created by State Resolution 9.040 in 1915, Missouri Day is set aside to "foster love for our state’s history and to teach rising generations of boys and girls the glories of Missouri."

The inspiration for the day came from native Missourian and schoolteacher Anna Lee Brosius Korn. Having composed the former state song, "Missouri", she felt the state needed an entire day to recognize significant Missourians. Korn later, after moving to Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, founded Oklahoma Day as well as the Oklahoma Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...

.

Though an established day, little observance is carried out in the state. State Senator

Missouri Senate

The Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000...

 Jason Glennon Crowell

Jason Glennon Crowell

Jason Glennon Crowell is a state senator from the U.S. state of Missouri currently serving his second term in the Missouri Senate. He succeeded the seat previously held by Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder...

 has acknowledged that the day does not garner as much attention as days such as Independence Day

Independence Day (United States)

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

, and some in the state have become critical of its ambiguous October observance. For over a decade, activist F. Spencer Hunley has lobbied for a concrete date, May 8, President Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

's birthday. During that time, the change has been proposed three times before the state legislature, failing to leave committee.