Fruita, Colorado Hosts Mike the Headless Chicken Festival May 15-16

The City of Fruita, Colorado will be hosting its annual Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, Friday-Saturday, May15-16th. The events planned for this year's festival, which spans two days, include 6 musical acts, a chicken dance contest, a pancake breakfast, a car show, movie tent and several sporting events.

Held each year since 1999, the festival celebrates the miraculous survival of Miracle Mike, a Wyandotte rooster that lived for 18 months after a botched beheading saved him from being served for dinner on September 10, 1945.

Mike's owner, Lloyd Olsen, a farmer in Fruita, Colorado, sent Mike to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to prove that the five-month old bird was in fact headless and alive when rumors began surfacing that Miracle Mike's story was a hoax.

Determined to cheat death on that fateful night, Fruita's miraculous fowl, which remained headless until his death in March 1947, grew stronger and fatter with each passing day thanks to the specialized care he received from Olsen. When not climbing perches and mingling with his friends on the farm, Miracle Mike took to the road participating in touring sideshows until his death in March 1947.

Entertainment for this year's festival will be provided by Ofay Soul (5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday May 15th), Disco Mountain (7:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, May 15th), Polka Band with Joe Gable (1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May16th), Blue Canyon Boys (3:30 t0 5 p.m., Saturday, May16th), Goodman Band (5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16th) and Ralph Dinosaur and the Fabulous Thunderbirds (7:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 16th. Throughout the day on Saturday movies will be shown at the Mike Movie tent.

Other activities being held include: Mike Store featuring Artisan and Food Vendors from 4-8 p.m., Friday, May 15th, Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast at the IOOF Hall ($4 admission) from 7 to10 a.m., Saturday May 16th, Mike's May Madness Car Show from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 16th, Mike's 5 K Run/Walk Like A Chicken With Your Head Cut Off from 9 to10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16th (race day registration will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.), Artisan and Food Vendors from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, May 16th, Lawn Mower Races from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 16th, Chicken Dance Contest, noon, Saturday, May 16th, Chicken Olympics Game Booth featuring egg toss, peep eating contest and wing eating contest ($1 per game) from 12 to5 p.m., Saturday, May 16th, Awards Presentation for Lawn Mower Races and Mike 5K Run noon, Saturday, May 16th, Chicken Olympics Finals from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16th and the Good Egg Awards Presentation from 7 to 7:15 p.m., Saturday, May 16th.

Come out and join in the fun!

Source:

Mike the Headless Chicken Official Website, http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/index.php