Maine Town Celebrates Inventor of the Earmuff

Earmuffs come and go when it comes to fashion. But they're always in style on Chester Greenwood Day.

Residents of Farmington, Maine, are set to pay homage to the inventor of the earmuff Saturday by proudly wearing muffs during a parade in honor the town's native son.

As the story goes, 15-year-old Chester grew weary of the biting cold on his large ears while ice skating and decided to do something about it. He fashioned muffs out of farm wire, and his grandmother sewed fur on them. He improved his creation, obtained a patent and manufactured thousands of "Champion Ear Protectors" in Farmington.

His legacy seemed to fade away after his death in 1937. But he and the ear protectors made a comeback 40 years later when the Maine Legislature established Chester Greenwood Day in 1977.