CLEVELAND -- Sweetest Day will be celebrated on Saturday.

Believe it or not, a Cleveland man started the holiday that's celebrated mostly in the Great Lakes region.

According to www.creativechocolates.com, about 60 years ago, Herbert Birch Kingston, believing that the city's orphans and shut-ins were forgotten and neglected, came up with the idea.

With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed small gifts on a Saturday in October.

During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to participate in the celebration ceremony, which came to be called "Sweetest Day." The celebration eventually broadened to include couples.

The following are interesting tidbits about Sweetest Day.

• Sixty-seven percent of Americans do not know the history behind Sweetest Day
• One in 3 adults is aware that Sweetest Day was founded by candymakers in Cleveland as an act of goodwill.
• One in 5 adults mistakenly believe that Sweetest Day was found by greeting card manufacturers.

If you don't want to buy chocolate, send your sweetie an e-card:

• NewsNet5's Sweetest Day E-cards
• egreetings.com