Anamoose Mascot Joe Moose Weds Ana Lope in Mock Ceremony

Anamoose, North Dakota - When the local town's people erected a sign outside their small city a few years ago, they added a towering figure. Joe Moose officially welcomes folks to Anamoose with his big, but apparently lonesome, smile.

It was decided last year that Joe Moose needed a mate. Anamoose citizens brainstormed and searched high and low for the perfect wife for Joe. Finally, they found Ana Lope, an antelope. Now, in the wild, moose and antelope do not mate, but for the purpose of Anamoose, this was a match made in heaven, not nature.

After a whirlwind courtship, Joe Moose wed his bride, Ana Lope, at a mock ceremony on Saturday, June 28. The weather was perfect for the couple in their outdoor wedding. Anamoose, a small town with a population of approximately 260 people, went all out for this special occasion. Local resident Ron Cartwright was Ana and Barb Martin dressed in drag as Joe. 'Minister' Maury Becker declared the couple "miserable mates" and then the party began. Joe and Ana Moose cut their wedding cake and handed out 'moose droppings'. A crowd of 200 joined the happy couple in celebrating their 'moose-tials'.

The wedding event was paid for in part with a grant the community of Anamoose received designed to help struggling small towns in North Dakota. Twenty-one small North Dakota communities received grant monies through the Horizons program, which is through the North Dakota State University Extension Service. Anamoose was one of the towns to receive $10,000 to go toward the betterment of their community. The Horizons program also distributed money to assist with community activities, which is how Anamoose was able to host this joyous union between moose and wife. The $10,000 received will go into the Anamoose Community Fund, which will serve as an endowment fund.

When I spoke with an organizer of the marriage event, Alyce Heer, she said the attention Joe and Ana Moose's wedding has garnered has been a little overwhelming. The mock wedding was covered by local weekly and daily newspapers, and the news of this marriage has been picked up by the Associated Press. Heer has received emails from all over, including correspondence from a woman in Fairbanks, Alaska, who saw the Anamoose celebration on her local news.

I have family in Arizona, and for two mornings in a row, the headline 'Joe Moose Takes a Moosus' was featured on the Phoenix morning news channel. For a town the size of Anamoose, North Dakota, this is really exciting attention! Generally the only time North Dakota is on the national news is because of our winter weather.

For those of you wondering what 'moose droppings' are, here's the recipe. Don't let the name turn your stomach - these treats are really delicious!

Moose Droppings

1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 - 3 cups dipping chocolate (chocolate with a wax base which will harden to a shell) or substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips melted with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

Mix together the first four ingredients and shape into small one-inch balls. Chill or freeze the peanut butter balls, then dip them in the chocolate. Put the moose dropping balls on a cookie sheet with wax paper to set.

Moose droppings last a long time in the freezer, and these treats are perfect straight from the freezer on a scorching afternoon.