August 19th is "Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day

The first root beer float - so the story goes - was served on August 19th, 1893, by Frank J. Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing, in Cripple Creek, Colorado. He called his creation the "Black Cow Mountain," and it soon became a hit with the kiddos, who began referring to the tasty treat as simply, the "Black Cow."

Nowadays, a root beer float means different things to different folks. For some, it's not a root beer float unless you use plain vanilla ice cream dolloped into your root beer. Others put a little spin on things: plopping some chocolate ice cream into their root beer and calling it a "chocolate cow" or a "brown cow." Still others insist it's only a "brown cow" or a "black cow" if you use regular cola and ice cream. Then there's folks in places such as northeastern Wisconsin, who only call it a "black cow" if the root beer and ice cream are all mixed together, instead of leaving the ice cream floating on top. And would you believe, there's also a such thing as a "purple cow?" Yup, a "purple cow," created when you put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a mug of purple grape soda.

But what do you call a black-and-white cow in a hot pink bikini, floating in a giant mug of root beer and melting vanilla ice cream?

Blissfully content:



Sources:
"Black Cow" Root Beer Float Created - Answers.com
Ice Cream Soda - Wikipedia.org

 

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!)

 

Look-Alike Day is April 20th

Look-alike. Dead-ringer. Doppelgänger. Spitting Image. All words that describe someone who looks almost or exactly like someone else.

And it's a phenomenon that fascinates people. You can find references to look-alikes all over the place: in history, in celebrity, in the arts.

Some people find the idea of look-alikes to be a captivating study. Just do a Google search for "famous look-alikes in history" and you can waste at least an hour surfing through tons of side-by-side pictures of current famous folks who look like long-ago famous folks. (Not that I would personally know anything about that. Ahem.)

Some people find the idea of Doppelgängers (German for "look-alike;" literally, a "double goer" or "double walker") to be more on the paranormal side of things, for good or ill. The mythology, folklore, religion or tradition of many cultures (Ancient Egyptian, Norse, Finnish, and Celtic, to name a few) describe a Doppelgänger as anything from a ghostly benign double of a living person; to a forewarning of a living person's illness, endangerment or death; to a version of the personification of death itself.

And some people find the idea of look-alikes to be a great way to have some fun. For example, April 20th is Look-Alike Day. I don't know why. Or how. Or who made it up. But lots of folks use it as a day to have a little fun: Dress up in matching get-ups with their friends, take pictures, have a little party. That sort of thing. (What? No, it's not an excuse to have Halloween in the middle of Spring. Ok, maybe it is. But, it's not exactly the same, now is it? At Halloween, folks dress up, but they all want to wear something different from everybody else. Plus, there's no banging on neighbors' doors demanding candy. Probably.)

So being a look-alike can be fun, sometimes, can't it? To be silly, to dress up like someone else, maybe even try to be like someone else for a little while.

But, when all that look-alike fun is over and done, don't forget how wonderful you are as:

You.

We all do that, sometimes, don't we? Forget how wonderful we are, for any number of reasons. And then, sometimes, we start to see ourselves in an unflattering light. We compare ourselves to other people, other things, other situations, and we find ourselves...less, somehow. We can't or don't see the Wonderful in us that other people around us can and do see. And when those times come, the most uplifting thing is when someone comes along and gives us a little nudge:

Book Review: Lulu and the Dog from the Sea, written by Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont

     [Lulu and Mellie's] bedroom window faced the sand dunes. They pushed it open and the sea wind blew in, and there they were, nearly among the blue-green grasses and gray, orange-berried bushes. Almost next to the little gold paths down which a dog from the sea might swoop like a storm.
     "It's the most perfect place ever," said Lulu.





Summary:
Seven-year-old Lulu loves her cousin and best friend, Mellie, and her mom and dad. She also loves animals, and has many pets: two guinea pigs, four rabbits, one parrot, one hamster, lots of goldfish, and "a rather old dog named Sam." And as long as she sticks to the rule about pets in her house (The more the merrier! As long as Lulu cleans up after them!), adding more is not out of the question.

One day, Lulu, her parents, Mellie, and Sam pile into the family car for a trip to a little cottage by the sea. When they get there, they hear about a stray dog who's been roaming about. The residents of the little town nearby think the dog from the sea is a menace, and they're determined to catch him. But Lulu thinks he just needs a friend, and she's determined to help him. But can she get to the dog from the sea before the dogcatcher does?

 
For Teachers and Librarians:
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is fun to read. It will give your young readers lots of things to think about, and talk about, and wonder about. And it will give you lots of ways to use it in your classroom. For starters, you may want to check out this page from the publisher: A Teacher's Guide for the Lulu Chapter Book Series aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

And here are some other ideas:

• Animal care - The dog believes something bad will happen if he's caught by the dogcatcher, while the narration in the book points out that there are actually good things that will happen to him if the dogcatcher can find him. Have a discussion with your students: What are those good things? And what are the bad things the dog might be afraid will happen? And how can a dogcatcher portray to the public his good intentions for animals he catches, to change the perception many, including the dog from the sea, have about dogcatchers? Have your students create positive publicity posters for the dogcatcher containing the ideas they come up with.
• Caring for a beach environment - There is a rule against removing the rocks and stones from the beach, but no mention of why. Wouldn't it be nice if there were pamphlets at the beach explaining that? Have your students research why this might be so, and present their findings in illustrated "Public Information" pamphlets for that beach.
• How about a little bit of political science? The town residents see the dog from the sea as a nuisance to the town, but Lulu sees him as helping their little community. Discuss the reasons why each side feels as it does, then set up a fun mock debate, with students assigned to one of two teams: either the townspeople's views or Lulu's views. After they've prepared, let them present their arguments to another class who has also read the book, polling that class on their views on the dog from the sea's behavior both before and after the debate, to let your class see how effective or not effective their arguments were.
• Problem-Solving - After discussion and modeling, have your students create decision trees (perhaps with little illustrations accompanying each node) for some of the problems the characters faced in this book. Some examples: when Mellie got hurt, and Lulu was faced with deciding which of a few options was the best way to get help; when Lulu first learns about the dog from the sea and decides he needs help, but she doesn't know how to go about doing that; or when Mellie keeps having setbacks trying to get her new kite up and running, and Lulu and her parents try to help Mellie overcome each one.

Other ideas? Feel free to leave them in the comments below.

 
For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea has a lot to like. At its most basic, it's a sweet story about a girl and her determination to help a stray dog. But there is a lot more to this story. Your kiddos will see compassion portrayed in this story, and caring, and friendship, and responsibility. There's a "don't judge a book by its cover" theme going on, as well. And there's a bit of a cautionary tale tucked in at one point, about how quickly things can unravel when you choose to do something you know you really probably shouldn't do. But above all, this is a story your kiddos will enjoy reading, and it's a story you will feel good about putting into their hands. 


For the Kids:
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is a book about Lulu, a girl who loves animals, and her family, who loves Lulu, and a stray dog who's looking for a friend - even if he doesn't realize it yet. And Lulu is determined to be that friend - even though everyone in the town says that the dog from the sea is nothing but trouble. But can she earn his trust and become his friend before the dogcatcher catches up to him?

And something good thing to know: Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is the second book of a series. So if you like this book, you can read even more about Lulu's adventures in the other books in the series! 


Wrapping Up:
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is a sweet story, with a lot to like, a lot to ponder, and a lot to talk about. Find it and read it. You'll be glad you did.

Title: Lulu and the Dog from the Sea
Author: Hilary McKay
Illustrator: Priscilla Lamont
Pages: 112
Reading Level: Ages 7-10
Publisher and Date: Albert Whitman & Company, 2013
Edition: First US Edition
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $13.99
ISBN-10: 0807548200
ISBN-13: 978-0-8075-4820-2

Author Spotlight: Hilary McKay

Hilary McKay studied Botany and Zoology at St Andrews University in Scotland. After graduation, she worked as a biochemist. And she liked the work. But, she badly wanted to write a children's book. And so, after the birth of her two children, Ms McKay became a full-time mom...and a writer.

But Hilary McKay didn't stop at writing just one book. To date, she has written over 50 series and stand-alone books for children and young people, via various publishers. She has won several awards for her work, including:

• the 1992 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, for her first novel, The Exiles
• the 1994 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award), for The Exiles at Home
• the 2002 Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award for Saffy's Angel 

Born June 12, 1959, in Boston, Lincolnshire, England, Ms McKay grew up in a household of readers. She was the eldest of four girls, a reader from a very young age, and a frequent library visitor. Now, she lives in the small village of Derbyshire, England with her family. She loves "walking, reading, and having friends over to visit."


Sources:
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea book jacket flap
Hilary McKay official site: Biography page
Hilary McKay - Wikipedia page
Writers: Hilary McKay, British Council Literature
Hilary McKay biography - BookBrowse.com
Birthday Bios: Hilary McKay - Children's Literature network
Mrs. Hilary McKay - Debrett's
Hilary McKay - Children's Author - LoveReading4Kids


 

Illustrator Spotlight: Priscilla Lamont

Priscilla Lamont graduated from Canterbury College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design. From there, she worked a number of years as a book designer. After that, she began work as a freelance artist - work that she continues to this day. In addition to her illustration work, Ms Lamont also does primary school visits, and creates watercolor portraits of both adults and children.

Ms Lamont has illustrated more than 40 books for children, for many authors. She illustrates her own stories sometimes, too.

Some awards she has earned for her work include:

• nominated for the Kurt Maschler Award, for The Troublesome Pig
• nominated for the Smarties Prize, for See Mouse Run
• won Parents Play and Learn Award (Silver), for DK Playtime Rhymes
• won Scottish Arts Council Children's Book Award for Emerging Readers, for The Queen's Birthday Hat

Priscilla Lamont has lived in London, and in Suffolk. Now, she lives in Kent with husband David Hayward - who is also an artist. Ms Lamont likes sailing, scuba diving, salsa dancing and hiking.


Sources:
Priscilla Lamont: About the artist - official site
Priscilla Lamont - Shannon Associates LLC
Priscilla Lamont - Tallbean

Of Pigs and Peanut Butter, Smiles and Books (But Not Necessarily All Four Together)

March 1st is quite the celebratory day as Little Known Holidays go - and in 2013, there are eight of them (that I know of at this time). Every one looks like a ton of fun, but with only so many hours in a day and only so much space in a blog post, let's split the difference and choose exactly half, and celebrate accordingly.

Let's start things off with National Pig Day. Created in 1972 by two sisters - Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave - the purpose of the day is "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals." 

Next on the list is Peanut Butter Lover's Day. And Share a Smile Day. Not sure what the backstory is on either one of these, but the porcine fellow below sees no reason why he shouldn't celebrate both - from ear to ear and elbow deep:

Last, but most certainly not least, March 1st is the day chosen by the National Education Association to observe 2013's Read Across America Day. (The official date for Read Across America Day is March 2nd - the birthdate of the late Theodor S. Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss.)

Well. Not wanting to be outdone by a multitasking pig (clever though he may be), I thought it would be fun for us to celebrate not just two, but three of March 1st's holidays, all at once:

Pigs

and

Smiles

and

Books for Young People

Why not all four? Um, well, I think we have to draw the line at mixing books and peanut butter in the same celebration. That just does not end well. (The last time I tried, I ended up with peanut butter on the cover of one of my favorite books. And do you know, a little bit of that peanut butter is still there? True story!)

But enough about my peanut-buttery past. Let's get to those books. Below, you'll find five pig-populated books that I've very much enjoyed reading and/or sharing with my kids over the years. For each one, I've listed the title, author and illustrator, reading level, and the book's Piggy Connection. If I've reviewed or posted in some way about the book, the title will be a clickable link that takes you directly to that post.

Pete & Pickles
Written and Illustrated by Berkeley Breathed
Ages 4-8

Piggy Connection: Pete is a very orderly pig, whose orderly life takes a sudden disorderly turn.

Arthur, For the Very First Time
Written by Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Lloyd Bloom
Ages 9-12

Piggy Connection: Bernadette, Uncle Wrisby's beloved pet pig, will soon give birth to a litter of wiggly piglets. And when she needs some help, it comes from a very unlikely source.

Charlotte's Web
Written by E.B. White
Illustrated by Garth Williams
Ages 6-11

Piggy Connection: Wilbur the pig is the runt of the litter, destined for a very short life, indeed. But then Fern the farm girl steps in to save him, and Charlotte the spider helps him find his way in this world.

Piggies
Written by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
Illustrated by Don Wood
Ages 5 and up

Piggy Connection: Fingers and toes. Who knew these "piggies" could be so much fun?

The Three Pigs
Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner
Ages 4 and up

Piggy Connection: The classic tale of the Three Little Pigs gets a not-so-classic retelling. Because this time, the pigs are taking charge of their story.

* * *

And that concludes our little celebration. But the fun doesn't have to end here. Go on, enjoy March 1st in your own creative way, in all its piggy, peanut-buttery, smiley, book-filled glory. (But remember, you might want keep the peanut-buttery parts separate from the book-filled parts...)