Local Holidays

Racinchef's post about New England got me thinking...

What strange local holidays do they have in your town (municipality, neighborhood, whatever...)?

Here in Clovis There are basically two:

First, in May, comes Big Hat Day, which sorta coincides with the opening of Rodeo Week. On big hat day everybody turns out to wear their cowboy clothes, or just watch other people who do. Barbecue & beer is the food of the day, with chili and ice cream running a close second. Everybody lines the streets in the Old Town section for a big parade.

Second, in June comes Rumble to the Summit, when everybody with a motorcycle rides to the top of the mountain (from 300 ft. in town to about 7500 ft. at Sierra Summit.) The party goes all day, and again barbecue is very popular.

The Rumble starts off with a police & fire truck escort, followed by 3500 motorcycles:

Lots of photos of the 2006 Rumble here:
http://forum.motorcycle-usa.com/defa...?f=30&m=271097
(In 2007 we were out of town.)

[beezer]

We used to have the Puffer Duffer open at the local golf course where all us old hippies used to get together and Puff and Duff. We realized over a few years that we'd never be any good at the Duffer part so we don't go to the golf course anymore.

[justbrian]

that rumble day looks like blast

[cactusjack]

Outside of the annual Chandler Ostrich Festival, I don't think we have any local holidays.

At least in Utah July 24th was Pioneer Day, a big state holiday.

Ostrich Festival? They got ostriches in Arizona? All I remember is healthy lookin' snakes and lizards and sick lookin' jackrabbits, with the occasional scorpion or tarantula.

(Jack we gotta get you a more scenic sig pic. That garage shot is, well, dull if I may be frank.

Maybe at Zion's I'll get a photo of you doing a "Dan Lund" up Checkerboard mesa or something exciting. )

[racinchef]

In Massachusetts they celebrate Patriots' Day on April 19th. No, not the football team. Go back to the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Think Minuteman and Paul Revere and William Dawes. Patriots' Day commemorates the battles of Concord and Lexington. The big event is the Boston Marathon, but in the afore-mentioned towns they have reenactments.

[racinchef]

When I lived in Newport, NH, prom night was a big in town parade of sorts. Each student with their dates would try to dream up the most attention-getting way of getting to the prom. Some hired limos, some would show up on farm tractors, riding lawn-mowers, antique cars. One year six couples showed up on a pontoon boat, trailered of course. The prom was always held in the heart of the town in the ancient Newport Opera House. That's another thing; a lot of these towns have an opera house that survived from the 1800's when they were the rage.

[jussmatt]

About the biggest one here that comes to mind is the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. It's a 2 week even with everything from rodeo to big name performers and cook offs...and more crap that you would think they could put in a building!! LOL!

[rlfaubion]

In nearby Orangevale they have Pow Wow Days here in May. It's very lame.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by caddmannq

Ostrich Festival? They got ostriches in Arizona? All I remember is healthy lookin' snakes and lizards and sick lookin' jackrabbits, with the occasional scorpion or tarantula.

(Jack we gotta get you a more scenic sig pic. That garage shot is, well, dull if I may be frank.

Maybe at Zion's I'll get a photo of you doing a "Dan Lund" up Checkerboard mesa or something exciting. )

Okay, big guy - take a look at the new, improved sig pic.

Better, but it ain't got you in it now. And it's got cars!
Really, you need to try harder Scott!

[ringadingh]

We don't have any local holidays like some of you guys do. It seems like it would be a fun time , and everybody gets together for a while. Our town celebrates Canada day on July1. There is also a street party we have on our street each year, the neighbours all bring their chairs and a table out on the street, a few of us bring a BBQ,we close off the street and have a great time for a few hours. One year a few of us stayed out there untill morning.

[Top Cat]

In the town I live in we have a big St. Patricks Day parade. In Cazenovia they have OZ Fest. The author of the Wizard of OX was from there. Big parade and some of the munchkins from the original movie show up

[damark115]

Here in Massachusetts we have Evacuation Day. It is on Saint Patricks Day but it is only celebrated in Suffolk County (Boston). It is a holiday only for Boston and the surrounding communities but not the rest of us. No big deal unless you need to deal with DMV or the State House or something. All other municipalities are open. I don't know the history of it. Sounds like a way for the politicians to get the day off for the parade.