The festivities of Cider Days were in full swing and the place was hopping. Anticipation was high and that morning the remaining contest squares went like hot cakes. Vendors filled our prize basket with all kinds of goodies sweetening the prize pot. By noon (two hours into said festivities) we had already sold 20 dozen doughnuts!
Miss Liberty arrived at 1pm, it was an overcast and somewhat chilly afternoon. Anticipation was high - who's piece of temporary real-estate will she make her deposit on???? Team Johnson (Jim, Millicent, and retired Marine son Jeremiah) steadfastly watched over her as visitors meandered by and chatted about her beauty, eating and, of course, pooping habits. The younger crowd definitely loved seeing her; although truth be told most of the adults seemed equally captivated by her golden jersey figure.
Has she pooped? Has she pooped was a constant refrain amongst the crowd. Up and down the hilly road we walked checking on her status. Two o'clock - nuthin. Three o'clock waiting waiting waiting. The Mrs. (in Team Johnson) decided apples might help prompt Miss Liberty's digestive expression. "Are you sure Miss Liberty is gonna poop" we asked - "oh yes, she will" replied Mrs. Johnson. At four o'clock still no poop and Mr Smith arrives to trailer her home. The trailer is opened and what do we find....low and behold Miss Liberty pooped on her way to the contest, no wonder we have not had any "plop activity". So despite munching endlessly for 3 hours and having four apples she did not poop during our designated event time. One may ask "can one have a designated pooping window for a cow?"
But wait....we have to have a prize winner, oh what to do? After a quick brainstorming session with Team Johnson, a few dozen bystanders and 2 head organizers of Cider Days from the Mount Holly Community Association the decision was made to get a shovel full of poop, blindfold Jeremiah, turn him around until he is completely disoriented and hand him the shovel full of poop to be launched. Facing backwards the retired Marine catapulted the poop high in the air. It spun and twirled as it decended into a grand splat. Jeremiah Johnson excitedly removed his blindfold and with the quickness of a trained soldier went into measuring mode. The determination was then made the flying poop landed in square was D5.
DRUM ROLL please..............the winner was a Mr. Patrick Devine!
As Miss Liberty was gently guided back into the trailer she sauntered up the ramp entered the trailer gave us a backward glance and with a smirk on her face once again shat in the trailer. And that is the story of the MHCA first annual cow plop contest.
It was a team effort in making this event successful. Thank you Ryan Smith for the transporting Miss Liberty; Team Johnson from Dairy Aire Farm for sharing Miss Liberty; and Donna DiAngelis for the use of your property/signage/cow flags!
Thank you to all who participated in our little mountain town shenanigans and fundraiser for the Mount Holly Community Association, you helped us raise $1300.00 for Cider Days!! #WeDoItAllForYou
"Sleepy Hollow" and the Headless Horseman Ride Into Ludlow, Oct. 23
In keeping with the coming Halloween celebration, FOLA will present the award-winning film, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" on Saturday, October 23 at 7 PM in the Heald Auditorium of Ludlow Town Hall.
Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 American gothic supernatural horror film directed by Tim Burton. It is a film adaptation loosely based on Washington Irving's 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and stars Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci,. The plot follows police constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village of Sleepy Hollow by a mysterious Headless Horseman.
Crane, criticized for his favoritism of scientific methods, is dispatched to the upstate Dutch hamlet of Sleepy Hollow, which has been plagued by a series of brutal decapitations: a wealthy father and son, Peter and Dirk Van Garrett, and a widow, Emily Winship. Received by the insular town elders—wealthy businessman Baltus Van Tassel, town doctor Thomas Lancaster, the Reverend Steenwyck, notary James Hardenbrook, and magistrate Samuel Philipse—Ichabod learns that locals believe the killer is the undead apparition of a headless Hessian mercenary from the American Revolutionary War who rides a black steed in search of his missing head. Ichabod begins his investigation, skeptical of the paranormal story.
What follows is the tale of how Crane investigates the crimes of the alleged headless horseman. It is told in a vivid, yet often humorous, manner as only Director Burton can imagine and portray.
The film, rated R for its vivid depiction of the headless horseman's actions and a sexual scene, was awarded the Academy Award for Scenic Design. The director and lead actors in the movie were also nominated for Academy Awards.
As with all FOLA movies, everyone is invited to attend and the movie is free; donations are appreciated to offset FOLA's costs. Per the town's Covid-19 policy, all non-vaccinated attendees are required to wear masks while it is strongly recommended that those vaccinated also wear masks. For information, call 802-228-7239 or visit FOLA's web site at https://fola.us.
