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(113,366 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,670 posts)2naSalit
(86,650 posts)Pobeka
(4,999 posts)GreenWave
(6,759 posts)tblue37
(65,409 posts)colorado_ufo
(5,734 posts)on Colorado's Western Slope. That is where Mike was from! The festival was started a number of years ago by Teri Thomas, daughter of Gene Thomas, who was for many years publisher of the local paper, Fruita Times, which was well over 100 years old at the time. Fruita Times was sold and discontinued, Gene passed away after publishing other papers (a truly remarkable man). This is a "shout out" to my friend Teri, who has been forgotten as the originator of this very popular festival in the spring!
rurallib
(62,426 posts)crosinski
(411 posts)They fed him with an eye dropper through his throat opening. He died when he choked to death one day.
colorado_ufo
(5,734 posts)Mike has a fascinating story and is worth a little Google research, but here are the facts as I remember, just "off the top of my head" LOL!
Mike was originally intended to be dinner. His "stroke of luck" happened when the ax, in a million-to-one whack, removed his head but left his brain stem intact. It also missed major blood vessels. Mike simply got up and walked around as if nothing had happened! Not having been accepted into any Ivy-league schools, Mike didn't seem to miss the rest of his brain at all, and his owner quickly latched onto promotional opportunities.
I can't remember if the food/water opening was a result of the ax or if it was created later, but getting him nourishment was a bit of a project. His claim to fame, though, made it worthwhile.
I think that it would have been great fun to have had the owner appear on the old TV show, "What's My Line?" He could have declared, to a stumped celebrity panel, that he worked as the promotional agent for a headless chicken.
Actually, you might find it fun to contact the Fruita Chamber of Commerce. Even more fun, come to the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival. And maybe have a cup of coffee with me!
https://fruitachamber.org/contact/
BTW, the building pictured on the web site has an amazing history. Used to be a library. And if you go inside, some of the stones have dinosaur footprints embedded in them.
momta
(4,079 posts)I wonder if they noticed
republianmushroom
(13,616 posts)Brings a smile every time I see some of dis and some of dat.
KS Toronado
(17,266 posts)Martin Eden
(12,871 posts)Thanks gor the pic.
yorkster
(1,497 posts)live love laugh
(13,118 posts)I was amazed.
UTUSN
(70,711 posts)Marthe48
(16,975 posts)But I can't help wondering why it is taking so long to complete the Crazy Horse sculpture?
live love laugh
(13,118 posts)calimary
(81,323 posts)Reminds me of my dads insistence that thered be NO cat in our house after I said I wanted one for Christmas. Well, the cat arrived, and for years afterwards Id catch glimpses of him holding the cat, petting the cat, walking around holding the cat, on and on. That cat won him over really fast! And thoroughly!