Furthermore, Leap Day doesn't occur in years ending in 00, unless they are divisible by 400. For example, that means there wasn't a Leap Day in 1900, but there was one in 2000.

The whole purpose of the day is to accommodate the fact that each year is technically 365.2425 days.

Confused yet?

Well, believe it or not, there are plenty of Leap Day babies who have learned to go about their lives as normal, even with the difficulties that having such a birthday can bring: Being carded to see R-rated movies, despite having gray hair; trying to get into medical school as a 6-year-old or being carded for alcohol when they're the oldest person in the bar.

Genoa Township's Vada Justen turns "21" today, although she admits she's been drinking wine as a minor for years. Justen said "21" sounds a lot better to her than her actual age of 84.

"You multiply it by four and it's a lot," Justen quipped. "I'm not as young as I'd like to be."

Justen and McDole aren't alone in their special club.

According to the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, there are some 200,000 leapers in the United States and 4 million throughout the world. The odds of being born a Leap Day baby are just 1 in 1,461. The honor society advocates the inclusion of "Leap Day" on the calendar.

Birthday brouhaha

With such a birthday comes some legitimate issues.

For example, McDole said her car registration expires Feb. 28, but her license expires March 1, even though the latter lists her actual birthdate as being Feb. 29, 1972.

Jim Donahue's parents had another issue — their health insurance policies — when he was born on Leap Day back in 1956.

"My mother's expired Feb. 28th and my dad's didn't start until March 1," the Genoa Township man said. "Human resources forgot it was leap year."

Thankfully, everything was eventually straightened out for Donahue's family and he plans on having a nice dinner to celebrate his "13th" birthday.

Hamburg Township's Kendall Ward, who turns "7" today, says normally there aren't any issues to her birthday, but there was one experience she had where she was trying to buy a car.

"I went over to the desk to get the paperwork, she actually accused me of having a fake ID," Ward said. "She pulled out a calendar and her manager came out and said there isn't a 29th. I said it happens every four years."

The day presents several practical issues for non-leapers, too.

Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte estimated it will cost an additional $40,000 this year just to keep open and man the jail an extra day.

"I know (county officials) do take a look at that," he said. "It doesn't go unnoticed."

A spokesperson for Michigan's Office of the Budget said she had no specific figures as to how much extra Leap Day will cost the state this year.

There is some good news for students: The extra day doesn't mean extra classroom time or budget issues.

"It has no impact," said Fowlerville Community Schools Superintendent Ed Alverson. "When we do all our calendars, it's based on 1,098 hours of instruction."

Marriages made in Hell

If you weren't born on Leap Day, perhaps the next best thing would be to get married on the day.

That's why the Putnam Township hamlet of Hell is offering free weddings in its tiny chapel all day Friday.

Earlier this week, roughly 30 couples were already lined up to be married or renew their vows at the chapel.

"You've got to be wanting to have fun with the ceremony and not be all about the fluff and not expect to have a lot of people there," said Pinckney's Ann Jarema, who will be officiating the weddings. "It's perfect for somebody who wants a little different twist ... and you don't have to spend $50,000."

But nothing beats being born on the actual date.

"It's always been kind of a conversation piece because most people do not know anyone that has a birthday on that day," Justen said. "So it's a little rare."

Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Kristofer Karol at (517) 552-2835 or at kkarol@gannett.com.