Q: What do a headless chicken, mountain bikes, dinosaurs, and the season of fall, all have in common?

A: Every one of them is celebrated, in one way or another, in one western United States city:

Fruita, Colorado

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Est. 1884

Population about 13,000

Named after the fruit trees city founder William Pabor hoped to grow there.

Let's start with the one that made you click to this post: the headless chicken. (Yes, it did. You know it did. Who wouldn't click on a link about a headless chicken?)

Mike was a two-and-a-half pound, five-and-a-half-month old Wyandotte rooster when Fruita, Colorado farmer Lloyd Olsen came looking for him for dinner on September 10, 1945. Long story short: the ax fell, but Mike didn't. He strutted. He scratched. He (attempted to) peck at feed. And when night came, he tucked his (missing) head beneath his wing, and went to sleep. When Mike was still alive the next morning, Lloyd took it as a miracle, and kept the rooster alive, feeding him grain and water directly into his esophagus via an eyedropper. 

Fame soon came to Miracle Mike, the headless wonder chicken. He was studied

Photo Credit: Mike the Headless Chicken Festival

by the University of Utah. He was taken on a national tour. He was featured both in Life and Time magazines. Longtime Fruita residents described him as "a big, fat chicken who didn't know he didn't have a head." And he lived like that for a whopping 18 months.

Since then, Mike's story has inspired songs, a sculpture, paintings, and a segment in a PBS show. But what may be the biggest thing to grow out of "the amazing story of one chicken's will to live" is this: The Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, celebrated annually in Fruita, Colorado during the third weekend in May. This year's 15th annual festival is set for May 17-18, 2013. The fun includes events like a chicken dance contest, games, eating contests, food and artisan booths, live music and a 5K run ("Run Like a Headless Chicken"). For this year's "Mikeritaville" theme, they've added volleyball, sand castle building, a tiki bar, and limbo contests.

From the official website:

"Mike's will to live remains an inspiration. It is a great comfort to know you can live a normal life, even after you have lost your mind."

Yes. Yes it is.


Moving on to mountain bikes:
Thanks to the efforts of festival founder Troy Rarick and other mountain bike

Photo Credit: Fruita Fat Tire Festival

enthusiasts, the Fruita Fat Tire Festival has brought the city greater recognition as a go-to place for some great mountain biking fun. The first festival, in 1995, saw about 300 attendees. That number had soared to about 1300 by 2012's 18th annual celebration, with folks coming from all over the US and even abroad.

Celebrated annually the last weekend in April, this laid-back festival marks the unofficial start of Colorado mountain biking season. There are lots of fun events for festival-goers to check out: live music, vendors, mountain bike skills camps, a Clunker Hunt, expos and bike demos, parties, prize drawings and giveaways, and road and trail rides.

From the official website:

"The festival highlights the many mountain biking opportunities in the Fruita area, including the North Fruita Desert and McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, both managed by the BLM Grand Junction Field Office. Rides on surrounding public land trails, for all skill levels, are popular during the festival."

Diggin' the dinosaurs:
In 1901, paleontologist Elmer Riggs and a crew from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, came to Fruita, Colorado. They did some digging, and found about two-thirds of a brontosaurus skeleton - considered one of the finest specimens known - on what came to be known as Dinosaur Hill.

Since then, many more dinosaur discoveries have been made around Fruita,

Photo Credit: Dinosaur Journey Museum

Colorado and surrounding areas, sparking the designation of the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic and Historic Byway, the Fruita Paleontological Area, the Dinosaur National Monument and the Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time, among other dinosaur-related places.

Many prehistoric fossils originally found around Fruita and surrounding areas can be viewed in museums all over the USA. Fruita's own Dinosaur Journey Museum hosts not only prehistoric exhibits and events, but also dig expeditions and a variety of Dinosaur Days festivities throughout the year.

From the Dinosaur Journey Museum website:

"Over one hundred years of paleontological work in the area has produced many exotic, beautiful, and scientifically important fossils. As work continues on our paleontological heritage, the people of Mesa County and our neighboring friends can look forward to learning more about our past."

And finally, the Fall:

Photo Credit: 2012 Fruita Fall Festival Poster

From its early beginnings in 1914 as the Cowpunchers Reunion, to the Hunters Roundup and Harvest Carnivals begun after World War II, to the combination of all three in the 1970's to form the festival as it is known today, the Fruita Fall Festival has evolved to become "the granddaddy of festivals on the Western Slope." The largest of Fruita's many festivals, with crowds estimated from 35,000 to 50,000, it's a three-day event celebrating Fruita's harvest and history, and is held annually the last full weekend of September.

For the festival's 99th year, slated for September 27-29, 2013, the theme is "Fruita of Tomorrow," with 2013's official festival poster to be designed by one of Fruita's own (see festival website's main page for details).

Festival participants will have plenty of fun events to enjoy: live music on two stages, carnival rides, street dances, a parade, a bed race, baking and canning contest, youth pet and talent show, a magic show, arts and crafts and food vendors, and a 5K race.

And something special to look forward to after this year: 2014 will mark the Fruita Fall Festival's Centennial celebration. So, a celebration of a celebration - and doesn't that sound like one great big fabulous party-in-the-making?

 * * *

So. Headless chickens. Mountain Bikes. Dinosaurs. Fall. And you can find all of those things, all in one place - just not all at the same time. 

How great is that? 

Sources:

Mike the Headless Chicken Festival - Official Site

Famous headless fowl feted in Fruita, Colorado - DenverPost.com 

Life With Mike the Headless Chicken: Photos of a Famously Tough Fowl - Time/Life

Mike the Headless Chicken - Wikipedia

Mike the Headless Chicken - Fruita, Colorado - ColoradoGuy.com

Fruita, Colorado - Wikipedia 

Fruita Fat Tire Festival - Official Site

Fat Tire Fest rides strong - FruitaTimes.com

Fruita Fat Tire Festival: 18 years and growing! - AspenTimes.com

All About Dinosaurs - Museum of Western Colorado.com 

Dinosaurs - GoFruita.org 

The Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway - Wikipedia

Dinosaur National Monument - Colorado.com

Fruita About Us - Fruita Chamber of Commerce Official Site 

Fruita Fall Festival - Official Site

Fruital Fall Festival History research text from hard-copy festival program - courtesy Robbie Urquhart - Special Projects Coordinator, Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce (Thank you, Robbie!)

 

Johnny Appleseed Day Will Be Here Soon...Or Not So Soon

Rejoice, apple aficionados, for Johnny Appleseed Day approacheth soon...or maybe not for a while yet. See, some list this holiday's date as September 26th, on account of that's the birthdate, circa 1774, of one John Chapman, AKA Johnny Appleseed.

But, there are others who insist that Johnny Appleseed Day is instead celebrated on March 11th, on account of that's the date of his exit from this world. However, since his death date was never formally recorded, there is some dispute as to its accuracy, as some place his death date at March 18. Sources do agree, though, on his death year: 1845.

I say we celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day here at Bugs and Bunnies on March 11, for two reasons. One: it gives me something to write about this week. And two: the apples Johnny is said to have planted in his travels all those years ago were of the tart green variety (known as Rambo, for the inquisitive among us).

So, green apples; along with March being the month where Spring comes into its own, and all the plant shoots are coming up a lovely young green; along with March being the month of St. Patrick's Day, which is known for lots and lots of green with its shamrocks and wee folk and connection with Ireland and all...well, isn't the March date kind of a no-brainer?

It is for me, so let's begin:

Most folks know the general story of Johnny Appleseed, so how about we talk about some of the lesser-known stuff? (If you are not all that familiar with Mr. John Chapman, who literally became a legend in his own time, then clicking on any of the sources listed at the end of this article will catch you up nicely.)

Here are some interesting Johnny Appleseed tidbits I came across in my research:

• From the time he set out on his apple-tree-planting journey, John Chapman, who was by 1806 known as "Johnny Appleseed," remained a wanderer the rest of his life. 
• Johnny first got his apple seeds from cider mills as he passed through eastern Pennsylvania. The mills gave away the seeds for free, as they were considered leftovers from the apple crushing process. 
• Johnny was a vegetarian, favored sleeping outdoors, and avoided towns and settlements. He wore a sackcloth or coffee sack, with cut-out holes for head, arms, and legs. He never wore shoes. Some accounts say he used a tin pot for a hat, but others say he carried the usual woodsman's tools of the time: rifle, tomahawk, knife, and the like. He had dark hair that came to his shoulders, and bright blue eyes, and a wiry frame.
• In addition to apple trees, he planted medicinal plants, and traded them with the Native Americans he met in his travels.
• Despite Johnny's unorthodox-for-a-settler ways - he was described in most accounts of the time as "eccentric" - he was welcomed into homes wherever he went, and people were pleased to see him.
•  He planted over 100,000 square miles of apple nurseries, some of which are well-documented and still exist. 

And here are some interesting tidbits about the apples themselves, or rather, their image at one time and subsequent rebranding. According to The Straight Dope:

• In the 1700's and 1800's, most apples were grown in order to make hard cider. The process of making the cider resulted in a drink roughly half the strength of wine, but it could be made stronger with a few tweaks.
• Then in the early 1900's came the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Prohibition movement, and the growing influence of each caused apple growers to fear a dip in sales. So, they changed promotional tactics.
• Using the late 1800's adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" as their new ad slogan, apple growers successfully changed public perception of the apple from alcoholic drink ingredient to healthy and wholesome food choice.

* * *

 

Whether you celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day on March 11th, or whether you wait until September 26th, make sure you go easy on the cider, or you may end up like the little guy below (though he seems not to realize he's only partaking of the non-alcoholic version):

 


Sources:
Websites:
Johnny Appleseed Day - Gone-Ta-Pott.com (site no longer available - but it was a fun resource while it was up!)
Johnny Appleseed - Apple Appetite.com (site no longer available - but it was a fun resource while it was up!)
Johnny Appleseed - Cleveland.about.com (site no longer available - but it was a fun resource while it was up!)
What's the Story with Johnny Appleseed - The Straight Dope.com

Children's Book:
The Real Johnny Appleseed, by Laurie Lawlor; wood engravings by Mary Thompson. Published by Albert Whitman and Company, 1995. Ages 9 and up.
ISBN: 0-8075-6909-7 

Don't Put Away That Sandshovel!

Summer may be winding down, but that doesn't mean you have to abandon playing in the sand. There are still quite a few sand sculpture festivals and competitions yet to be held, both family-friendly and professional:

Sandcastle and Sculpture Day - Held annually on the third Saturday in August, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The 2011 competition is this Saturday, August 20th, so if you're hoping to enter, you'd better hop to. The application deadline is Friday, August 19th. 

•  Sand Sculpture Contest - Held annually at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. They'll be holding their 30th annual contest on September 4, 2011.
• North American Sandsculpting Championship - Held as part of Virginia Beach, Virginia's annual Neptune Festival, and spanning several days. This year's celebrations - the 38th annual - are from September 28-October 9, 2011. 
• Sand Castle Days - Held on South Padre Island, Texas. This year's festivities - the 24th annual - run from October 19-23, 2011.  
• The American Sandsculpting Championship Festival - Fort Meyers Beach, Florida's 25th annual competition is set for November 2-6, 2011.

Itching to get building, but not sure how to prepare? No worries. I dug around and found some basic sand sculpture building tips to get you started, courtesy of Sandscapes.com and KarmaKrew.org. These tips are helpful for sand sculptors ranging from tall to small, and everywhere in between:

First, gather your supplies. 

You don't have to go out and get any special gear. Just poke around in your kitchen, garage, anywhere there's miscellaneous stuff, and see what you've got that you could use. First and foremost, you'll need big water buckets - some of those giant 5 gallon plastic paint buckets work well, if you have a few empties hanging 'round the garage. And you'll need shovels - long handled ones with short scoops are ideal - and the more, the better. After that, use your imagination: pastry knife, old paintbrushes, spoons, butter knives, toothpicks, water spray bottles, rakes, ice cream scoopers, drinking straws, funnels...really, anything that looks like it might be even a little bit useful. You should also have a drawing or photo of what you'll be building, so you have a reference to work from.

Next, find your spot.
Pick a spot on the beach. Scoop up a golfball-sized wad of wet sand into your hand and form it in a ball. If that sand ball can roll around on your flat palm without breaking apart, you've found your building spot. You also want to pick a spot close to the water - 'cause you'll need lots of water - but not so close that your masterpiece will get washed away by the next big wave. Check for the high water mark, and use that as a guide for where you want to park your project.


Then, prepare your sand.

You'll need very wet sand. Very wet sand. Did I mention VERY WET sand? Dig a hole close to the water, but not too close (see above suggestion), scooping out that VERY WET sand from the hole and piling it onto the flattened out spot where you've decided to build. If digging a big hole doesn't get you down to the water table for that drippy wet sand, or if you can't get enough sand that way, haul water up from the ocean/lake/body of water with your buckets and dump it on the sand. 

As you pile up the VERY WET sand, form it into a rough approximation of the shape of the thing you're sculpting. (It could be a castle, sure. But, it could also be a mermaid, or a giant spider, or a dragon, or even a life-size sculpture of Chuck Norris. Be creative!) Anyway, pile that sand up, gently jiggling each plop you add to the pile, so that it settles into the sand beneath and it all bonds together - do not pat, punch, stomp the sand. Gently jiggle. Jiggle. Jiggle. Keep plopping and jiggling until your pile looks big enough for what you're planning to carve it into.

Finally, get sculpting.
Carve out the details, and turn that sculpture idea into reality. Here's where you get to use all those odds-and-ends you gathered back in the first step. And don't forget those most wondrous of sculpting tools that you always have on you - your own hands and fingers. 

Keep referring back to your drawing/photo/reference to keep yourself on track as you sculpt the sand. Always start at the top and work your way down, and keep the sand wet (remember that water spray bottle?). And remember: patience. Carve out a little at a time, not in big chunks, and you'll have more control, making your sculpture look just the way you imagined it would. And if something goes wrong, just adapt and go with it. You may find that what you thought was a big mistake takes your work of art into a totally unexpected, yet fantastic direction. And don't forget to take a picture when you're done. Your sandy sculpture won't last forever, but at least your memory of it can.

* * *

 

Now, go have fun!

The Lexical Equivalent of "Off With His Head?"

January 1st. The very first day of a brand new year. A clean slate. A fresh start.

And, reasoned the PR department of Lake Superior State University, what better day to unleash a slew of words from the previous year that have, shall we say, out-lived their usefulness? Such was the thinking of the university's former Public Relations Director, Bill Rabe, and his colleagues, way back in 1975.

While gathered at a holiday party on December 31st of that year, Rabe and company came up with a whole host of words which had frequently appeared in media outlets and were endlessly spouted from thousands of lips, to the great chagrin of the partygoers. So, they compiled the lot into a "List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-use and General Uselessness," the goal of which was to purge said words from common usage and "out of public memory." The fruits of their labors ended up distributed by Rabe on New Year's Day, 1976. And so it was that January 1st has come to be known to many logophiles as New Year's Dishonor List Day.

The List was so popular in its inaugural year that LSSU decided to make it an annual New Year's Day tradition. Though Rabe retired in 1987, The List has lived on, catching yearly attention from such diverse outlets as The New York Times, Wired.com, msnbc.com, and a fair amount of bloggers (including the likes of Library Boy and, ahem, me) as well as garnering thousands of submissions each year to LSSU's PR department. In fact, January 1, 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the List's publication.

What kinds of words make the cut? According to the university's website, "Word enthusiasts target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, education, technology, advertising, politics, sports and more." Some samples from 2009's list:

• green
• carbon footprint
• maverick
• bailout
• iconic
• staycation
• game changer
• desperate search

To add to the fun, readers can submit comments for any of the words on the list. For example, concerning this 2009 entry:

(a combination of characters meant to resemble a sideways heart, and which means "love" in text-speak), Andrea Estrada of Chicago had this to say:

Just say the word instead of making me turn my head sideways and wondering what "less than three" means.

If you're wondering about words that made the cut in previous years, the university has you covered there, too, with a Banishment Word List Archive that stretches all the way back to that original 1976 list. And for those wishing to search for a particular word, there is a handy Complete List of Banished Words, presented alphabetically, with a link next to each word that will take you to its corresponding banishment year list.

So, what words were folks sick of hearing/reading/seeing in 2009? Find out by visiting the 2010 List of Words to Be Banished. While you're there, you can submit your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Hoping to make your own lexical contribution to the list? It's too late to get your two cents in for the 2010 edition - submissions are accepted all year long, and then a committee makes a "final cut" in late December for inclusion in the New Year's Day list. But, it's not too early to get your submission in for 2011's List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-use and General Uselessness. Contributions can be made by either clicking the following: Submit a Word to Banish, or by emailing your submission to: banish@lssu.edu.

Enjoy the day, Word Enthusiasts!

Sources:

Lake Superior State University - The History of Word Banishment

Lake Superior State University - Banished Words List main page

New Year's Dishonor List Day (HubPages article by Brandon De Hoyos)

Sandcastles, Sculptures and Fun! Oh, My!

Ahhh, sand: You can dig in it. You can bury your toes in it. You can throw it at your sister (though that may not be wise - especially if you're both adults now and she's faster than you...) But the coolest thing about sand is that you can build with it - everything from the most rudimentary castle to the most intricate sculpture. And where there are sand castles and sand sculptures, there are bound to be competitions - and I found plenty:

If You Hurry, You Can Still Catch These:

This year's Sandcastle and Sculpture Day, held annually on Jetties Beach and sponsored by the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce and the Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts (NISDA), is all set for tomorrow, August 15, 2009. If you registered by the August 14 deadline and paid your $10 fee to compete, you'll be up to your knees and elbows in sand come tomorrow. Missed the deadline? Not gifted with Mad Sculpting Skills? No worries - you can spectate the festivities and cheer on the more artistic among us absolutely free.

Not to be outdone, Crane Beach in Ipswitch, Massachusetts is holding their own sand sculpture competition tomorrow, too: Crane Beach SandBlast! This year's theme is "From Ship to Shore," celebrating Ipswitch's 375th anniversary as well as the town's maritime land and sea history. Enter to join the competition, or watch the masters at work - it sounds fun either way!

Rats! Missed These for This Year, But Thank Goodness For Digital Pics:

Already tired of sand between your toes as Summer 2009

winds down? There's no time like the present to start planning for next year. Here are a few competitions already done for 2009, but check 'em out - you may want to wander to one of these next year:

• Family Sand Sculpture Competition - Held in Ocean Park, Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
• New England Sand Sculpting Festival - Held in Revere Beach, Massachusetts. The link will take you to the event's main page - great pics of past entries that will blow your mind!
• U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition - Held in Imperial Beach, San Diego, California. Here's a Sand Diego News Network article about this year's festivities, complete with fab photos.
• Annual SandSations Sandcastle Competition - Held in Long Beach, Washington. Free Hot dogs! Evening bonfire! Sculptors of all abilities! Fun! Check out the Long Beach Peninsula Visitor's Bureau's website for pics of this year's winners.
• Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest - This June 2009 marked their 45th annual competition - fun for the whole family. Check out cannon-beach.net for pics from past contests.

Monkey See, Monkey Do:

So, now that you've seen all these fantastic creations, do you find yourself yearning to try a little sculpting out yourself, either in your trusty backyard sandbox, or that great big sandbox we like to call "the beach?" Well, do I have just the thing for ya... Here is a great resource for those who want to dig in and get building: Sand Castle Tips by Barbara J. Feldman. This kid-friendly site lists links to other (also kid-friendly) sites with lots of great information to help you build the sandcastle or sculpture idea that's rattling around in your now-inspired brain, no matter what your age or ablility. (Make sure to visit Sand Castle Central - a definite "must-surf-to" filled with lots of sand-castle-y wisdom.)

Virtual Voyeur:

And finally, if you just can't get enough sand sculpture pictures, here's a link to a Google images search for "sandcastle competitions" that brings up lots and lots of amazing sand masterpieces. Gaze and enjoy!