terrisus (terrisus@aol.com)
www.terrisus.com

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Index:
Section 1: Version History
Section 2: Introduction (including important notes)
Section 3: Events Schedule List
Section 4: Events Schedule, With Information
Section 5: Information
Section 6: Thanks
Section 7: Closing Thoughts
Section 8: Legal

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#### Section 1: Version History ####

Version 1.0: FAQ created. Event dates added.
Version 2.0: Broke the Events list into two sections, one (Section 3) that just lists the dates, and one (Section 4) that lists the dates with information about them. That way, if one just wants to see the list without finding out any information about the days, they can. Added information on Harvest Moon, Fall Sports Event. Minor wording changes. Added "birthday" as an event.
Version 2.1: Added information on Explorer's Day and Halloween. More minor wording changes.
Version 2.2: Added information on Fall Fishing Tourney, Mayor's Day, Officer's Day, Harvest Festival and Sale Day. Text corrections.
Version 3.0: Added "Jingle" as an event. Added information on Snow Day, Birthday, Toy Day, Jingle, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Minor wording changes. Also, significant changes to how Section 3 and Section 4 correspond. See note at the end of the introduction.
Version 3.1: Added information about Groundhog Day. Updated Birthday information. Added a "Thanks" section.
Version 3.2: Added information on Spring Sports Fair. Added specifics to Fall Sports Fair.
Version 3.3: Added information on April Fools' Day, Cherry Blossom Festival and Nature Day. Updated date for (Your Town Name) Day.
Version 3.4: Added information on Spring Cleaning and Mother's Day.
Version 3.5: Added information on Spring Fishing Tourney, Graduation Day, Father's Day, Fireworks Show and (Your Town Name) Day. Added "Morning Aerobics" as an event.
Version 4.0: Added information on Meteor Shower, Founders Day, Labor Day, and Morning Aerobics. Updated Introduction. Added "Closing Thoughts" section.
Version 4.1: Updated Section 3 to correspond to 2004 dates. Added another "Important Note" to the introduction.

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#### Section 2: Introduction ####

Welcome to the Animal Crossing US Events FAQ.
This FAQ covers all of the special events in the US version of Animal Crossing. This FAQ was originally written during the years 2002 and 2003. Many events are on the same date each year, some, however, change year to year, so, as events come by again, I'll update the FAQ with the new dates and any necessary changes. All of these dates are available on your in-game calendar in your house, but, this FAQ provides one easy place to see them all, and also allows anyone interested in getting the game to see what there is.
I'll be updating the FAQ with information about the dates as the particular events come along.
Keep in mind that as I'm making this, obviously, it's only based on what I experienced in the game. If I experienced something you didn't, or you experienced something that I didn't, feel free to let me know. See Section 5 for information on contributing.
I hope you find this FAQ helpful, and enjoy your time in the world of Animal Crossing.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This FAQ is being made day by day as the year goes along. It was started on September 21st, 2002, completed the following year, and updates come as the events arise again. While all of this is probably self-explanatory, I just want to offer some clarification and organization. The Events Schedule List in Section 3 is the list for the current year (in this case, 2004). The event descriptions in Section 4, however, are a mix of the previous year (2003) and the current one (2004). The events that are from the previous year have the date surrounded by plus signs ( +++ ), while the ones from the current year have the date surrounded by asterisks ( *** ). As events come up that were in the list before, I'll then start making any corrections that need to be made for the current year to the events I'd had from the previous year, and changing the plus signs to asterisks. While in most cases everything will be fairly similar, there may be some small difference in the dates of corresponding things or whatever. Again, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, the majority of the information under the events should be accurate regardless of which year it's in. I just wanted to organize things that way to resolve any confusion.

IMPORTANT NOTE 2: Also of note, apparently in most (all?) cases, the mayor won't give you more than one of the same item. That is, if you got a Moon one year already, he won't give you a second moon. That I do know, but, there are a couple of points I'm not sure of, which if someone could confirm (or I'll find out eventually), it would be appreciated. If one has already gotten the item from the holiday, but then sold it, if the mayor will give another one. Also, if in the case where there are different gifts one can receive (such as the Station Models, which are number 1 through 15), if he will give you another one of those but with a different number on that holiday. So, if anyone can confirm either of those one way or the other it would be appreciated, and otherwise I'll update with the information as soon as I can. Basically though, if the mayor gives you an item you want, it's a good idea to hang onto it.
In any event though, that should be enough notes for now. So, now, on with the FAQ.

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#### Section 3: Events Schedule List (2003) ####

January 1: New Year's Day
February 2: Groundhog Day
March 20: Spring Sports Fair
April 1: April Fools' Day
April 5, 6, 7: Cherry Blossom Festival
April 22: Nature Day
May 1: Spring Cleaning
May 9: Mother's Day
June 6, 13, 20, 27: Fishing Tourney
June 11: Graduation Day
June 20: Father's Day
July 4: Fireworks Show
July (random date in July): (Your Town Name) Day
July 25 - August 31: Morning Aerobics
August 12: Meteor Shower
August 21: Founder's Day
September 6: Labor Day
September 23: Fall Sports Fair
September 28: Harvest Moon
October 11: Explorer's Day
October 31: Halloween
November 7, 14, 21, 28: Fishing Tourney
November 2: Mayor's Day
November 11: Officer's Day
November 25: Harvest Festival
November 26: Sale Day
December 1: Snow Day
December 23: Toy Day
December 24, 25: Jingle
December 31: New Year's Eve
Date that you enter: Birthday

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#### Section 4: Events Schedule, With Information ####

*** January 1: New Year's Day ***

Tortimer will show up at the well in the morning to celebrate the start of the new year. He'll give you a new notebook item which you can use to keep diary notes, as well as use as a calendar (there's nothing specifically special about it, it's just like any other notebook).
Some of the animals will be lined up at the well casting bells in and making wishes. Get in line and talk to the one at the well to move up next, toss in some bells (it tosses in either 50 or 100 randomly), and hope for a good upcoming year.
Also today your mother will send you a card with 10,000 bells attached.

+++ February 2: Groundhog Day +++

The Groundhog Day festivities begin at 7AM, as people gather around the wishing well waiting for the event. At 8AM, the local "groundhog" emerges from the ground and makes his prediction as to how much longer winter will last. The crowd will remain there until 9AM, at which point they'll disperse, with the mayor remaining at the well. Talk to the mayor to get one of the following items:
Cosmos Model 1, 2 or 3
Pansy Model 1, 2 or 3
Tulip Model 1, 2 or 3
The one the mayor gives you is random. Each of them sell for a slightly different value at Nook's, the only two I have values for right now are:
Cosmos Model 1: 227 Bells
Tulip Model 2: 235 Bells
The models can be bought again from Nook's catalog as well, at the following costs:
Cosmos Model 1: 910 Bells
Tulip Model 2: 940 Bells
I would imagine that all of the models sell for/cost right around the same price, but, if anyone wants to write in with values for any of the other ones, it would be appreciated.
The mayor stays out in front of the well until 5PM though, so, if you happen to sleep in or anything, don't worry, he'll still be there.

+++ March 21: Spring Sports Fair +++

There are 4 events today, lasting 2 hours each, except for the Tug-of- War which ends at 4. Aerobics at 9AM, a Footrace at 11AM, a Ball Toss at 1PM, and a Tug-of-War at 3PM. The only event you can actually participate in is the Aerobics, the others you just watch. Talk to the mayor any time between 9AM and 4PM at the weell to get a Spring Sports medal. You can sell the medal to Tom (14,000 Bells), but, if you do, you can't buy it again.
To participate in the Aerobics, just go to the Wishing Well area any time between 9AM and 11AM, make sure you're not holding anything (like an umbrella or such), and control yourself with the C-stick. Specific controls for the aerobics are (all directions are done by the C-stick and when commenting on which way you turn, it's from the character's perspective):
Down, Up: Stretch back
Up-Left, Up-Left: Stretch back to the right
Up-Right, Up-Right: Stretch back to the left
Down-Left, Down-Left: Reach down to the right and stretch back
Down-Right, Down-Right: Reach down to the left and stretch back
Left, Left: Twist to the right
Right, Right: Twist to the left
Left, Up-Left, Up, Up-Right, Right (upper half-circle): Roll Shoulders
Right, Up-Right, Up, Up-Left, Left (upper half-circle): Roll Shoulders
Full rotation clockwise: Roll back
Up, Up: Jumping jacks
If I missed anything, please let me know.

+++ April 1: April Fools' Day +++

Everyone in your town will be a prank-telling mood today. Go around and talk to everyone to have them try to pull an April Fools joke on you.
Stop by the wishing well to talk to Tortimer, who will say his own joke, and then give you a present, your very own copy of the NES game "Super Tortimer." Upon taking it back to your house, however, you'll be in for yet another surprise. You can sell it to Tom if you want, he'll pay 128 bells for it, although you can't buy it back from his catalog.

+++ April 5, 6, 7: Cherry Blossom Festival +++

While the trees had changed color a few days ago, spring is finally in the air, literally, as little pink leaves are blowing around in the air, and people and ready to celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Head on down to the wishing well, where the mayor will be waiting to share his gift with you, a Pink Tree Model. You can sell it to Tom if you want for 350 bells, and you can also order more out of his catalog for 1400 bells.

+++ April 22: Nature Day +++

Today is the day to celebrate the many trees and bushes and other growing things in your town.
Go to the wishing well, where the mayor will give you a Tree Model. Tom will pay 350 bells for it, and, if you want, you can order more for 1400 bells each, and maybe start a forest inside of your house, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

+++ May 1: Spring Cleaning +++

Today's the day to shake the winter blues out of your house, welcome in spring, and maybe get the HRA off your back. Regardless, it's your house, arrange it however you like.
In celebration of Spring Cleaning, head on down to the wishing well and talk to the mayor, who'll give you a nice little Dump Model for your house. Unfortunately, you can't use it as a trash can or anything, it just sits there and looks like a small dump (doesn't everyone need one of those in their house?)
In any event, keep it for your model collection, or Tom will pay 5300 bells for it, but you can't buy another one from your catalog.

+++ May 11: Mother's Day +++

Well, your mom's been filling your mailbox regularly with mail, today's the day when she finally gets some appreciation. She'll send you a special letter, letting you know that, although she loves you regardless, she'd really like some flowers (not that you can send her any or anything, but nonetheless).
Stop by the wishing well and talk to the mayor, who will remind you how important your mother is, and give you a special gift to remember the day, the Lovely Phone. You don't actually need the Lovely Phone to complete the Lovely series, but, it does match the look of the series nicely. Put it in your house and use it to have free access to a dial- a-psychic line, which will give you a random assortment of tips on living. You can sell the phone to Tom if you like, he'll pay 2600 bells, but, you can't order them from his catalog.

+++ June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Fishing Tourney +++

Well, hopefully by now you've had a chance to buy a fishing pole. Nook randomly sells them in his store.
On June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, Chip will stop by to hold a fishing tournament. The mayor will be around on 3 of these 4 days where you'll have a chance to get the gift for the Fishing Tourney (see note at the end of this entry), talk to him any of the days to get the Angler Trophy. It takes up 1 space, hold onto it for display, or sell it to Nook for 1,800 bells. As for the fishing tournament itself, each of the 4 days, Chip will show up at precisely 6AM, and leave at precisely 6PM. The goal of the fishing tournament is to catch Bass (Small Bass, Bass, and Large Bass. Sea Bass don't count) and give them to Chip. He'll measure the fish, and then eat it. Each type of bass has a different range of values, which I'll get into shortly.
The closer to 6AM you show up, the smaller the standing record will be. Even if you show up exactly at 6AM, however, there will still be a record already set.
Every time you break the standing record, you get a prize. So, if you're looking to get as many items out of this as possible, the ideal situation would be to break the record by as small an amount as possible, so you can break it many times. At the end of the day, the person who ends up with the largest fish also gets another prize in the mail.
As for the size of the fish, each of the sizes of bass (Small/Normal/Large) have a range of values that they can be. While it's random exactly where they fall, if you can, it's best to start with the smallest fish that'll allow you to break the record, and once you've maxed out that size fish, move up to the next one. The size range of fish is as follows:
Small Bass: 5 - 10 Inches
Bass: 11 - 19 Inches
Large Bass 19 - 27 Inches
All of those values are based solely on my trying as many fish as possible. If you've encountered a fish that didn't fit into those guidelines, please let me know.
In any event, none of the prizes that you get either for breaking the standing record or for having the record at the end of the day are anything that you can only get from the fishing tournament, but, you can get some nice stuff nonetheless.
If you have the record at the end of the day, as well as getting the prize in the mail, you also get your name and the winning fish size posted on the town bulletin board.
The other important thing to note about the Spring fishing tourney is that, on one of the days, it'll also be Father's Day. The thing this means is that, on your calendar in your house, if you go to that day, only one of them will be listed, and you have to press down to see the other listing.
Normally on a holiday, talking to the mayor will turn the keyhole for that day red as well as putting a smiley face next to the holiday name. Apparently, however, there's a bit of a problem here. For me, when I talked to the mayor on the day that was both holidays, he only talked about Father's Day, so, I'm assuming you're not able to get the Angler Trophy on this day. Also, the calendar in the house, there's a smiley face next to the holiday name of Father's Day, but nothing next to the Fishing Tourney day and the keyhole for that day is still empty. For some reason though, the keyhole on the previous day became red, despite it being empty before and nothing having happened on this day. So, I guess it's just a slight glitch or something, it's not too big a deal, but, it's certainly worth noting at least.
If anyone has any more information on the matter, please let me know.

+++ June 13: Graduation Day +++

Talk to the mayor by the wishing well today, and he'll give you an encouraging speech about how nice it is to see everyone progressing in their lives, and how you should go out and get a job.
He'll then give you your gift for the day, a Tailor Model, a model of the tailor's shop. You can sell it to Tom for 12000 bells, although you can't order it again from your catalog, or add it to your collection of models. The light inside the store goes on and off when you press A in front of it.

+++ June 15: Father's Day +++

In the morning you'll have received a letter in the mail from your father, with some words from your dear dad.
Stop by the wishing well and talk to the mayor, who will give you a gift that his father gave him, a Locomotive Model, a model of the front car of your train. Play with it (although it doesn't really do anything), or sell it to Tom if you want, he'll pay 5000 bells, but you can't buy it from the catalog again.

+++ July 4: Fireworks Show +++

At 7PM, everyone will gather around the main pond in your town to watch the fireworks, which you can see reflecting off the water. The show will last until 9PM.
By the pond, Redd will have set up shop, and he'll be selling either Balloons (for 480 bells) or Fans (for 780 bells).
The mayor will be wandering around the town, and once you track him down, he'll give you a Bottle Rocket. You won't be able to set it off or anything, so, either put it in your house for display, or sell it to Tom for 1050 bells. Tom doesn't sell fireworks though, so, you won't be able to buy any more from his catalog.

+++ July (random date in July): (Your Town Name) Day +++

(Your Town Name) Day appears to be a different date, somewhere in the month of July, for everyone. If anyone notices any sort of specific pattern for when it is, let me know. Otherwise, you'll have to check your specific ingame calendar to find out when yours is.
In any event, whenever the date happens to be for you, on this day is your chance to celebrate your section of the world, your town.
Find the mayor on this day, and he'll give you a Station Model. Now, there are 15 possible looks the train station in your town could have, that was decided when you first started your game. The station model the mayor gives you, though, doesn't appear to have any relation to the station in your town. That is, he doesn't give you the model of the station you have (well, he could, but, you're as likely to get that as any of the other ones), he just gives you a random one. I'm also not sure if, in following years he'll only pick from among the models he hasn't given you yet, or if it's still just selected from among any station model. I would imagine it would be that he would still just pick from any of them, meaning you could end up with duplicates before you'd gotten all of them. At the very least though, you'll have to wait 15 years to collect all of the models.
The station models all (unless I hear otherwise from anyone, but I believe so) sell for 16,000 bells at Nook's, and none of them can be bought again from his catalog.

+++ July 25 - August 31: Morning Aerobics +++

It's summer, and what better way to enjoy it than to wake up and the crack of dawn to do some exercising. If it's raining that day aerobics won't be held, but, any other day everyone will be out there working away. Every day from July 25 through the end of August, Copper will be out by the wishing well with the other early risers, and the mayor, doing stretches. Head on down there to join in the exercises, using the following commands (all directions are done by the C-stick and when commenting on which way you turn, it's from the character's perspective):
Down, Up: Stretch back
Up-Left, Up-Left: Stretch back to the right
Up-Right, Up-Right: Stretch back to the left
Down-Left, Down-Left: Reach down to the right and stretch back
Down-Right, Down-Right: Reach down to the left and stretch back
Left, Left: Twist to the right
Right, Right: Twist to the left
Left, Up-Left, Up, Up-Right, Right (upper half-circle): Roll Shoulders
Right, Up-Right, Up, Up-Left, Left (upper half-circle): Roll Shoulders
Full rotation clockwise: Roll back
Up, Up: Jumping jacks
If I missed anything, please let me know.
Talk to the mayor and he'll give you a punch card. He tells you to show up for 14 days, and if you do, he'll give you a gift. The card can't be dropped or stored anywhere, so, you'll just have to get used to it taking up a space in your inventory for a bit. Every time you talk to the mayor, you'll also get a red keyhole mark on your calendar. If you show up 14 days, on the 14th, the mayor will give you an Aerobics Radio. This radio allows you to do aerobics in the comfort of your own home the same way you did at the well. One thing to note is that the radio doesn't allow you to do moves when aerobics are going on at the well, apparently they still want to get you out there to join in. Even after you've gotten your radio, the mayor will give you another punch card. If you show up another 14 days, he'll even give you another radio, to put on another floor, or just to sell. Tom will pay 6000 bells for the radio, although you can't order them from his catalog.

+++ August 12: Meteor Shower +++

Stop by the big lake part of your stream to check out the meteor showers. Many animals will be standing there looking up at the sky, but since you can't look up, you'll just have to enjoy the reflection in the water.
Talk to the mayor, who is also by the lake, and he will give you a telescope. Unfortunately, you can't actually look at anything with the telescope, so, keep it around for decoration, or sell it to Nook, who will pay 1450 bells for it, although you can't reorder it from his catalog.

+++ August 21: Founder's Day +++

The mayor is hanging around by the wishing well today, and when you track him down, he'll reminisce about the adventurous explorers who found this area, covered with trees and weeds, and carved out the town you live in today.
To celebrate this happy event, the mayor will give you your very own Weed Model, so you can have weeds growing right in your own home. Just what you've always wanted. Tom will pay you 220 bells for the model, but you can also buy more from his catalog for only 880 bells, so you can make your house fully overgrown by weeds.

+++ September 1: Labor Day +++

On Labor Day, the mayor will be hanging out by the wishing well, and if you stop by to talk to him, he'll give you a speech about how hard work pays off and how you should be grateful to everyone who puts in so much work to make your town a nice place to live. In celebration of this, the mayor will give you a Shop Model, a model of Tom Nook's old shop, Nook's Cranny, to remind you of how hard Tom has worked to build up his shop and to offer and sorts of new and interesting merchandise. The model has a light that turns on and off when you stand in front of it and press A, so keep it hanging around to look at, or if you want Tom will buy it from you for 11500 bells, although you can't buy them from his catalog.

+++ September 21: Harvest Moon +++

Go to the lake between 6 and 9 PM to look at the moon reflection. Talk to the mayor to get "The Moon" which you can sell to Tom for 8,000 Bells (however, you can't buy it again from the catalog), hang onto it to use in a space-themed room, or just stick it in your basement or store it with your gyroid (takes up a bunch of space in a room, so, that's probably the best place to hold onto it if you don't want to specifically use it at the time but don't want to sell it).
Also, if you see a big fish shadow in the pond where the moon is reflected, you can fish and catch the Arapaima, which you can sell to Tom (10,000 Bells) or donate to the museum.

+++ September 23: Fall Sports Fair +++

There are 4 events today, lasting 2 hours each, except for the Tug-of- War which ends at 4PM. Aerobics at 9AM, a Footrace at 11AM, a Ball Toss at 1PM, and a Tug-of-War at 3PM. The only event you can actually participate in is the Aerobics, the others you just watch. Talk to the mayor any time between 9AM and 4PM at the weell to get a Autumn Sports medal. You can sell the medal to Tom (14,000 Bells), but, if you do, you can't buy it again.
To participate in the Aerobics, just go to the Wishing Well area any time between 9AM and 11AM, make sure you're not holding anything (like an umbrella or such), and control yourself with the C-stick. Specific controls for the aerobics are (all directions are done by the C-stick and when commenting on which way you turn, it's from the character's perspective):
Down, Up: Stretch back
Up-Left, Up-Left: Stretch back to the right
Up-Right, Up-Right: Stretch back to the left
Down-Left, Down-Left: Reach down to the right and stretch back
Down-Right, Down-Right: Reach down to the left and stretch back
Left, Left: Twist to the right
Right, Right: Twist to the left
Left, Up-Left, Up, Up-Right, Right (upper half-circle): Roll Shoulders
Right, Up-Right, Up, Up-Left, Left (upper half-circle): Roll Shoulders
Full rotation clockwise: Roll back
Up, Up: Jumping jacks
If I missed anything, please let me know.

+++ October 14: Explorer's Day +++

Visit the mayor at the wishing well after 10AM to hear a little pep talk about exploring, and receive a bottled ship. Tom'll only pay 840 bells for it if you want to sell it, and it can't be bought again from the catalog.

+++ October 31: Halloween +++

Halloween actually stretches into November 1, as Halloween is between 6PM on October 31 and 1AM on November 1.
Starting on November 15, Tom will be selling 5 pieces of candy each day in his shop, at 100 bells each. If you're trying to get the most out of Halloween that you can item-wise, you'll also want to make sure to buy 10 pieces of paper and a few items (such as orange crates or something) and an extra shirt that you don't care about losing, as you won't be able to do any buying or selling with Tom on the 31st since he's doing his end-of-the-month raffle all day. So, buy as much candy and whatever you need before the 31st and hold onto it somewhere until then. Also, obviously anything you get on Halloween that you don't want, you'll have to wait until the next day to sell.
On the 31st at 6PM is when the festivities start. All of the people in your town will dress up in costumes with jack-o-lanterns on their heads. Also in the town will be the major, and a character named "Jack," both of whom will look exactly like everyone else.
The mayor is hanging out next to the wishing well, go talk to him to get a Katrina's Tent model, which is the same as all the other model pieces that you can collect, useful if you want to try to reconstruct the town inside your house, but not much use other than that. Katrina's Tent has a light that goes on and off if you press A in front of it, so it is sort of neat. Nook will pay 10,000 bells for it.
In any event, the main goal of Halloween is to find Jack and give him candy, while dealing with everyone else in your town. Everyone in your town except for Jack, when they spot you will chase after you. Jack, however, won't chase after you, so, that's a good way to figure out who's who without talking to everyone (it does say their name when you talk to them, so, you can still find out anyways). What you want to do, is, take 10 individual pieces of paper and address them to someone so that they go in your mail spots in your inventory. Then, take 10 pieces of candy from wherever you were storing them and attach them to your letters. Fill your inventory up with items you don't care about losing and put on a spare shirt. As you go around the town, the town animals will run up to you and demand candy. If you don't give them any, they'll turn whatever clothes you're wearing into a Patched Shirt, or turn one of your items into a jack-in-the-box or a jack-o'-lantern. Once you find Jack (again, he's the one who doesn't chase after you when you get near him, or just talk to them all to find out), take a piece of candy out of your letter and give it to him. He gives you an item from the Spooky Series of furniture. After you get a piece, leave the area and go look for Jack again to get another one. None of the Spooky items can be bought again from the catalog, so what you do with them is up to you, if you want to theme your room with it, find a place to store it, or just sell it. The Spooky Series consists of 10 items, plus the wallpaper and carpet, so 12 things total. The jack-o'- lantern and jack-in-the-box aren't part of the Spooky Series, so either use them as extra decorations, or sell them. Nook won't pay anything at all for the jack-o'-lantern, but he will give you 1,031 bells for the jack-in-the-box. Also, the patched shirt can't be bought from the catalog and Nook won't pay anything for it either.

+++ November 3, 10, 17, 24: Fishing Tourney +++

Well, hopefully by now you've had a chance to buy a fishing pole. Nook randomly sells them in his store.
On November 3, 10, 17 and 24, Chip will stop by to hold a fishing tournament. The mayor will be around all 4 of the days (he'll be randomly wandering around the town, you'll have to track him down), talk to him any of the days to get the Fishing Trophy. It takes up 1 space, hold onto it for display, or sell it to Nook for 2,450 bells. As for the fishing tournament itself, each of the 4 days, Chip will show up at precisely 6AM, and leave at precisely 6PM. The goal of the fishing tournament is to catch Bass (Small Bass, Bass, and Large Bass. Sea Bass don't count) and give them to Chip. He'll measure the fish, and then eat it. Each type of bass has a different range of values, which I'll get into shortly.
The closer to 6AM you show up, the smaller the standing record will be. Even if you show up exactly at 6AM, however, there will still be a record already set.
Every time you break the standing record, you get a prize. So, if you're looking to get as many items out of this as possible, the ideal situation would be to break the record by as small an amount as possible, so you can break it many times. At the end of the day, the person who ends up with the largest fish also gets another prize in the mail.
As for the size of the fish, each of the sizes of bass (Small/Normal/Large) have a range of values that they can be. While it's random exactly where they fall, if you can, it's best to start with the smallest fish that'll allow you to break the record, and once you've maxed out that size fish, move up to the next one. The size range of fish is as follows:
Small Bass: 5 - 10 Inches
Bass: 11 - 19 Inches
Large Bass 19 - 27 Inches
All of those values are based solely on my trying as many fish as possible. If you've encountered a fish that didn't fit into those guidelines, please let me know.
In any event, none of the prizes that you get either for breaking the standing record or for having the record at the end of the day are anything that you can only get from the fishing tournament, but, you can get some nice stuff nonetheless.
If you have the record at the end of the day, as well as getting the prize in the mail, you also get your name and the winning fish size posted on the town bulletin board.

+++ November 5: Mayor's Day +++

The mayor will be waiting by the wishing well for you, he'll thank you for "electing" him again (not that you have a choice or anything), and give you a Well Model. The Well Model is just that, a model of the well where you've spent so much quality time with the mayor. Hold onto it for decoration, or sell it to Nook for 10,846 bells.

+++ November 11: Officer's Day +++

November 11th is Officer's Day. Stop by the wishing well to talk to the mayor, and he'll give you a Police Model. The police model is (obviously) a model of the police station. It lights up if you press A in front of it. Hold onto it, or sell it to Nook for 11,500 bells.

+++ November 28: Harvest Festival +++

The Harvest Festival starts at 3PM, and lasts until 9PM.
For the Harvest Festival, a bunch of your villagers will be gathered around tables in front of the wishing well, getting ready to eat. The mayor will also be there, and he'll give you a cornucopia (sells for 470 bells to Nook, other than that it's just decoration).
The goal of the Harvest Festival is to find Franklin, the turkey, and collect the Harvest series of furniture from him. The Harvest series consists of 10 items, plus the wallpaper and carpet (12 items total). Franklin will be around town, hiding behind trees and buildings. You can wander around until you run into him, or, if you talk to any of your villagers who aren't at the festival (talk to them using the 2nd choice that is, not the one for them to give you a job, just the general conversation choice), occasionally they'll give you clues as to where Franklin is hiding ("I saw something suspicious in the F acres" or other things like that). Once you find Franklin, he'll tell you his story, and ask you to help him. What he wants you to do is, go to the Harvest Festival and take the silverware off the table. Then, find him again (he'll have moved, so, you'll have to track him down), give him the silverware, and he'll give you a piece of the Harvest series. Go back to the tables, get more silverware, find him again, get more Harvest furniture, and repeat as often as you want.

+++ November 29: Sale Day +++

Sale day starts as soon as Nook's store opens.
Once Nook opens, he'll be selling "Grab Bags" for 2002 bells each. The Grab Bags have 3 random items inside of them, which can be furniture, wallpaper, carpets, shirts and pinwheels.
Stop by the wishing well during the day to talk to the mayor, who will give you a Market Model (that is, a model of Redd's tent), which you can use as decoration (the light turns on and off when you press A in front of it), or sell it to Nook for 10,000 bells.
At 6PM, Redd will come by. He doesn't have anything out of the ordinary, just his usual variety of wares. He'll stay his normal hours, either until 6AM the next day or once you buy out his tent.

+++ December 1: Snow Day +++

This isn't necessarily the first day you'll have snow, and snow still won't be sticking to the ground for a while, but, this is the day the mayor decides to celebrate snow. Stop by the wishing well and talk to him to get a snowman. Hold onto it in your house for a constant reminder of winter even in those warm summer days, don't worry, it won't melt, or sell it to Nook for 3000 bells.

+++ December 23: Toy Day +++

Today is Toy Day, and the mayor is at the well in a jolly mood, giving out toys to all the good (and even if you're bad) little children. If you're a male, he gives you a miniature car, and if you're a girl he gives you a dolly. Neither of them are tradable, so, hopefully you like the one you got, and if not, oh well. Both of them sell for 2500 bells at Nook's.

+++ December 24, 25: Jingle +++

Jingle isn't actually an event on your calendar, but, I figured it would be a good thing to cover as well.
On the 24th, your mother will send you a random gift in the mail. At 8PM, Jingle will come by, and stay until 1AM on the 25th. He'll be handing out gifts to everyone, and, while you're apparently not on his list, with a bit of convincing he will give you some stuff.
Before tracking down Jingle, you'll want to order 10 shirts from Tom's catalog and keep them on letters in your letter slots. Jingle will be randomly wandering around town, and you'll have to track him down 5 times at first. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th times he'll ask you questions about what kind of gifts you like. When you find him the 5th time, he'll finally give you a gift. Once you get the first gift, leave the acre, change shirts, and find him in a different acre twice to get another gift. Now what you'll want to do is, push Jingle over close to the acre line, change shirts, talk to him, after talking to him, move quickly to the next acre and back and he should still be there. Talk to him again to get another present. Change shirts again, and repeat the previous steps. You can do this ten times before he tells you that he's caught on and he's out of presents.
The Jingle series consists of 10 items plus the carpet and wallpaper (12 items total), and also he gives you a Jingle shirt.
On the morning of the 25th, Jingle also sends you a present in the mail, a Balloon Fight NES game.

+++ December 31: New Year's Eve +++

New Year's Eve festivities start at 11PM, and last until 1AM on the 1st.
At 11PM, head over to your pond, and Tortimer and a bunch of your townsfolk will be gathered there, along with a giant clock board counting down the minutes and seconds until the new year. Talk to Tortimer to get a Noisemaker. Keep it in your house for celebrations year-round, or sell it to Nook for 400 bells. The clock will continue counting down until midnight, and when it hits midnight, there will be a big fireworks show at the pond, with everyone celebrating, and elsewhere in your town the background music has changed to an Auld Lang Syne-like tune.
Don't stay up too late, you have a busy year ahead of you. I hope the past year has gone well for you, and that the upcoming year will be good as well.

*** Date that you enter: Birthday ***

At some point, one of the town animals will ask you for your birthday, which you can then enter.
Assuming you've had a chance to tell one of the animals your birthday, this is the day that you get presents. In the mail you'll get a card from your mother with a birthday cake. Nook won't buy it for anything, and you can't eat it, so, what you do with it is up to you. You'll also get a bunch of other letters from animals in your town with birthday greetings and small gifts attached. One animal should stop by your house and give you a Donkey Kong NES game as well.
I'm not sure if how well your animals like you or anything affects how much/what you get, I got 7 letters in the mail aside from my mother's (and had 15 animals in my town), so, if anyone didn't have anyone stop by their door with an NES game, or got a different ratio of letters, let me know.

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#### Section 5: Information ####

Well, I hope you found this FAQ useful. If you find any inaccuracies, wish to add any information, or just have any comments you want to make, my email address is:
terrisus@aol.com
Please make the subject "Animal Crossing FAQ" and, along with the information, if you want credit for your submission or not (if you don't mention it, I'll assume you didn't), and what you want the credit to be listed as.
Keep in mind, just because someone sends something in doesn't necessarily mean it'll be added. If someone says "Hey, I caught a 99- inch Bass!" that might be a bit questionable. I'm not saying that I'm going to have to wait for a ton of people to say the same thing or for some sort of proof or anything, just, I'm going to use some discretion when putting stuff in that I hadn't noticed. Also, I'm probably not going to update the FAQ immediately after I get a correction, any corrections will probably wait until my next normal update, so, if one sends in something, and in the next update it's added but one's name isn't listed while others are, it just means that I'd decided to add it after that amount of people had written me about it, if a thousand people write in saying the same thing I can't exactly include every name or something.
That said, don't really worry too much about either of the things I just mentioned, I just wanted to put them in for clarity. If you notice anything I didn't, please write and tell me, any corrections or anything are more than welcome.
I don't accept trade proposals through mail. I lurk the AC board, so, if you're interested in a trade, just post it there. If, however, you feel the urge to send me anything, you're more than welcome to do that. My game information is:
Name: Eric
Town: Nintendo
Of course, you don't have to and I'm certainly not expecting anything, but, thought I'd include the information just in case.
If I missed anything else, feel free to ask that as well.
Have fun.

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#### Section 6: Thanks ####

I would like to thank the following people for their help in this FAQ:

The one person who wrote in with confirmation of my Birthday listing, and all the people who didn't write in, which I assume means it was fine.

IGN, for hosting this FAQ.

My girlfriend Renée, for the use of her file to find out some things I would've missed on mine. Not to mention being the most wonderful person I've ever met, and the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you.

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#### Section 7: Closing Thoughts ####

(September 2, 2003)
Well, a year has come and gone since this FAQ began. Started on the day I got the game on the US release, things have progressed steadily until we've arrived where we are now, one year later, and all the dates have been entered.

While I already thanked them in the Thanks section, I would once again like to thank IGN, and particularly Stephen Ng, for staying with me this entire time, while this FAQ came to completion.

This is the first FAQ I've ever done, and while obviously I had a year to put it together and the game presented all the necessary information and it was just a matter of me organizing it and writing it down, it was still quite a task.
I haven't really gotten any emails about this FAQ yet, I'm assuming that is probably because, of course, people were experiencing the events at the same time I was, and the information wasn't actually in the FAQ until after they'd gone through it. As we're now at the one year mark though, we have people (like me) who will be going through the events a second time and will have questions, want information, and everything else. As well, of course, there are people who got the game after the release, and so will now be experiencing some of these events for the first time.
So, now that the FAQ is fully in place, and people will be going through the events that are listed, I hope that it can provide them all the information they are looking for, and if they have questions, additional information, or anything else at all, I hope they email me with anything at all they might want to know, and hope that I can help them, and continue to improve on this FAQ. I'll still update this FAQ as necessary, with date changes and more information and anything else I can.

Whether you're new to the game or a seasoned veteran, whether you're experiencing these events for the second time or the first, I hope you've been enjoying your experience in Animal Crossing, that you've been making friends, settling into your routine, and just enjoying everything about the game. I hope you've found this guide useful, and will write me if you have any other questions.

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#### Section 8: Legal ####

This FAQ was created by TerrisUS (terrisus@aol.com). It may be used by IGN however they desire. It may not be copied, reproduced, or anything else, by anyone else without either their or my permission.

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