Mark your calendars for June 1 and 2 for the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival in Fruita, Colorado.
Mike was a chicken who lived for 18 months in the mid-1940s after getting his head chopped off in preparation for dinner (not Mike’s, his owner’s). But a little bit of brain stem remained. With regular feeding with an eyedropper, Mike refused to die and, in fact, thrived. His owner, Lloyd Olson, described him as “a fine specimen of a chicken except for not having a head.”
Headless Mike went on tour and made Olson mucho money until the fowl choked on a kernel of corn and died. At the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, you can enjoy music and other entertainment, a chicken dance contest, chicken games, eating contests and more including dining on fried chicken (no offense, Mike). As the festival organizers say, “Attending this fun, family event is a NO BRAINER.” Fruita is just a few miles from Grand Junction. Looking for a spectacular place to camp? Head up the bluff above town to Colorado National Monument.
Watch a one-minute video about Mike.
##RVT841
When I was wee tot we moved to Verdun, France. It was 1952 and the town was still devastated from 2 wars. You couldn’t just walk down to the local market so we grew food and raised animals. We cut off the heads of chickens and squealed as they ran around. My sister secretly made one of the chicks her pet and yes, we ate it! She still hasn’t forgiven me!