Category: Oddities

When the Fergus Fall Fair appointed its first mascot, the new colleague arrived with a grey coat, a calm expression and about one tonne of professional presence. Pearl, a 16-year-old Percheron mare, made her debut as the face of the 189th fair in Fergus, Ontario, alongside her owner, Sarah.

By the time the fair closed on Sept. 20, Pearl had joined a weekend that drew about 23,000 visitors and set an attendance record for the fifth year in a row, according to post-event reporting from CityNews Kitchener. For a first mascot assignment, that is a sizeable welcome party—and Pearl was already dressed for the occasion.

A first mascot with a long parade résumé

The fair’s official introduction describes Pearl as more than six feet tall and about one tonne. Sarah and Pearl already spend time together riding around their farm, greeting people at community parades and appearing at local horse shows. The new mascot role gave that familiar partnership a home gate and a full weekend of meet-and-greets.

Pearl also entered the Heavy Horse Show with Sarah on the fair’s final day. CityNews Kitchener reported that the fair’s first mascot quickly became a popular attraction during the three-day event. Organizers also counted more than 4,000 entries from exhibitors, so Pearl joined a busy program of agriculture, competitions, entertainment and family activities.

Rita’s field note

“Mascot” can mean a feathered costume, a foam head, or a Percheron who can make the meet-and-greet area feel like the main event. Pearl brought the full horse-show silhouette, while Sarah brought the years of partnership that made the role feel natural. Together, they gave the fair a new tradition with a very impressive mane.

For Rita Raccoon, the assignment earns a neat verdict: the Fergus Fall Fair found a mascot who can greet a crowd, compete in the heavy-horse ring and make a one-tonne entrance look like excellent community manners.

Sources: Fergus Agricultural Society: Meet the 2026 Fergus Fall Fair Mascot; CityNews Kitchener: 23,000 people attend record-breaking Fergus Fall Fair.

Rita Raccoon’s field notebook has a new measurement category: swamp holler. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has scheduled its second annual Swamp Hollerin’ Contest for Saturday, Oct. 10, at 10:30 a.m., as part of the Okefenokee Festival in Folkston, Georgia.

The contest invites participants of all ages to bring their best calls. Judges will consider projection, loudness, authenticity, clarity and overall performance. Cash prizes go to the top three contestants in each of two groups: adults 18 and older, and youth 17 and younger. Registration is limited to the first 15 adults and 15 youth, with sign-up at the refuge’s festival tent.

A sound with a practical past

The refuge describes hollering as a way families communicated across the Okefenokee’s broad wet prairies and swamps before cell phones and radios. A regional history compiled by Valdosta State University’s Archives and Special Collections adds more texture: folklorist Francis Harper documented local hollering and yodeling, including calls used to summon livestock, signal that someone was heading home, or simply enjoy making a sound.

That gives the contest a useful range. A call can carry a message, mark a homecoming, or earn points for clarity. The judges’ scorecard supplies the official categories; Rita’s notebook has added “strong sense of direction” in the margin, pending editorial review.

Folkston gets the call

The competition is part of the Okefenokee Festival in Folkston, where refuge staff will host the contest offsite. Its all-ages format brings a traditional skill into a present-day community gathering, with both youth and adults invited to take part. The event page says the contest celebrates the sounds and spirit of communities around the refuge.

For anyone keeping score at home, the judging checklist is admirably specific: projection, loudness, authenticity, clarity and overall performance. Rita has confirmed that “overall performance” is a broad enough category to include a compelling entrance and a well-organized notebook. She is still checking whether raccoons qualify for either age division.

Until Oct. 10, the contest’s official forecast is simple: Folkston will have a festival tent, a limited roster of contestants and at least one reporter prepared to take sound seriously. Rita recommends bringing a full voice—and leaving room in the notebook for the results.

By Buster Barkley, Hilarious News lead reporter

The calendar has reached the part of September when a fish tale receives its annual opportunity to stretch its fins. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identifies National Hunting and Fishing Day as the fourth Saturday in September, which falls on September 26 this year. Buster Barkley has opened a fresh notebook and reserved a sensible amount of room for the phrase “the one that got away.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes the tradition with a familiar outdoor starter pack: muddy boots, tangled fishing line, early alarms and a story that may grow a little as it travels home. The agency says the day recognizes the people and outdoor traditions that connect hunting and fishing with conservation work.

A Saturday for the people behind the stories

The observance brings outdoor traditions and conservation partnerships into the same Saturday conversation. The Fish and Wildlife Service highlights the people who gather around hunting and fishing, along with the work that supports healthy wildlife and places to enjoy the outdoors.

That broader purpose sits comfortably alongside the small human rituals of an early outing: packing snacks, checking gear, finding a friend who knows the water and comparing notes later. The Fish and Wildlife Service calls attention to the conservation partnership involving hunters, anglers, state wildlife agencies, federal partners and industry.

Buster’s field note

A proper fish story arrives with excellent posture, a steady voice and hands held confidently apart. The verified details belong to the agency that documents the day; the hand spacing belongs to the storyteller. Both are welcome at the lakeshore.

For anyone marking the occasion, the useful assignment is simple: enjoy an outdoor tradition, learn from local conservation partners and leave the next tale ready for a respectful retelling.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rita Raccoon has checked the weekend guest list at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and it has excellent range: black-footed ferrets, hawks, hands-on activities, and a chance to try archery.

The refuge’s free Refuge Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the visitor center. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes it as a family-friendly event with wildlife activity tables, close-up encounters with black-footed ferrets and hawks, arts and crafts, face painting, and more.

A very full afternoon itinerary

The archery range opens for try-it archery from noon to 2 p.m., giving visitors an activity to pair with the wildlife displays and creative stations. The schedule leaves room for a relaxed arrival, a look around, and a carefully considered decision about which activity deserves the first stop.

Wildlife with a welcoming introduction

The event’s close-up encounters put two very different animals on the same afternoon program: black-footed ferrets and hawks. Refuge Day also offers a chance to learn about local wildlife through activity tables and to enjoy the festival.

Rita’s field note: a schedule that moves from ferrets to archery has range in both the literal and editorial senses. The event is free and open to families, with the refuge listing the visitor center as the location.

Details: Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Mountain Time; try-it archery, noon–2 p.m. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. See the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service event listing for the program details.

By Rita Raccoon, consumer and oddities correspondent

By Cleo Claws, Hilarious News culture reporter

Some evenings reward a person for knowing the park entrance hours. Cuyahoga Valley National Park has chosen to add team strategy, prizes, and the delicate social pressure of friends looking across the table when someone says, “I am almost certain this is correct.”

The park’s official event listing says its National Park Trivia night takes place Wednesday, September 23, at 6 p.m. at the Hines Hill Conference Center open-air tent in Peninsula, Ohio. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the program runs for 90 minutes, and attendance is free with registration through the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The invitation is refreshingly direct: bring friends, form a team, brush up on park facts, and come ready for laughter, learning, and friendly competition. Prizes await the top-scoring team. That leaves a generous amount of room for the rest of the room to celebrate an answer that felt excellent at the time.

Cleo’s advance assessment is equally direct. “A multiple-choice question has many answers,” she notes. “One of them will eventually be permitted to have dignity.”

The setting supplies a proper outdoor-theater atmosphere for an indoor-style contest. Teams will gather under the open-air tent at Hines Hill, where the contest can turn a favorite trail, an overlooked historical detail, or a memorable ranger program into useful conversational currency. The listing describes the evening as a way to celebrate Cuyahoga Valley and national parks more broadly.

There is a special joy in a contest that turns a casual “I think I read that on a wayside sign” into an official team contribution. The best approach may involve knowledgeable friends, a calm relationship with uncertainty, and the modest confidence to submit an answer before someone starts a group debate about the personality of a river.

For the practical portion of the briefing, registration, location, and schedule details are available in the National Park Service event listing. Cleo recommends arriving at 5:30 with a team name that remains graceful whether it wins a prize or becomes a lesson in woodland humility.

By Professor Hoot, science and technology reporter

BAINBRIDGE, Ohio — Hopewell Culture National Historical Park has offered a very specific Sunday assignment: head into a meadow, find a monarch butterfly and help give its remarkable migration a little more paperwork.

The park’s Monarch Tagging at Seip Earthworks is scheduled for September 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 7078 U.S. Route 50 in Bainbridge. Participants will join park staff in a Monarch Watch effort to capture and tag monarchs as the butterflies begin their autumn journey south.

Professor Hoot has examined the plan. It includes nets, free handouts, careful demonstrations and a request for running shoes. This is excellent fieldwork design: the butterflies bring the wings, the volunteers bring the cardio, and everyone agrees that a small orange-and-black traveler can set the pace.

A migration project with a little sprinting

Park staff will demonstrate the proper techniques for catching and handling monarchs. Once a butterfly is carefully captured, it receives a specially made sticker tag on its wing. Volunteers and scientists along the migration route can later observe those tags, helping researchers follow the monarchs toward their winter homes and back through the wider annual cycle.

The event is part of a nationwide monitoring effort, and the local format has a satisfyingly human scale. People gather at the earthworks, follow guidance from rangers, watch the meadow and work together around a creature that can turn a patch of sky into an energetic committee meeting.

The official gear list has strong opinions

Hopewell Culture says it will provide nets and handouts about butterflies and wildlife. Participants are asked to bring water, sunscreen and running shoes, and each volunteer will complete a form. Rangers will meet visitors near the entrance to guide them to the sampling location.

The running-shoe note is especially candid. Monarchs are planning a migration of thousands of miles, while the human side of the operation gets a closer look at the first few yards. Professor Hoot considers this a fair division of labor. The butterflies retain their travel expertise; the humans supply attention, gentle hands and an occasional enthusiastic jog through tall grass.

Professor Hoot’s field finding

The story here is a community science day built around careful observation. The tags create a practical way for people across the monarchs’ route to contribute sightings, while the park gives local volunteers a chance to see how the process begins.

Visitors can arrive ready for sun, movement and ranger guidance. Then they can watch a famous migration take off with one tiny sticker, several careful steps and a meadow full of people who have chosen to spend Sunday taking butterfly logistics seriously. Professor Hoot approves the methodology. He also approves any research protocol that admits its subjects may require pursuit.

Source note: This article describes the scheduled September 13, 2026 program. Event details are maintained by Hopewell Earthworks; the National Park Service provides background on Seip Earthworks.