May 18 – 19, 2007
4 to 9:30 PM Friday; 7 AM to 9 PM Saturday
Downtown Fruita

Once upon a time there was this chicken (Mike) destined for dinner at the Olsen’s.  Mr. Olsen went out, hatchet in hand, to perform a fairly routine task of killing one of their chickens.  Off with its head!  Mike (the chicken – not Mr. Olsen) runs around like — yes — a chicken with its head cut off.  Only Mike keeps running around and doing other chickenly things as if nothing is wrong.  Mike, with some very special help in the food and water categories, continues to flourish and thrive for another 18 months, leading a very normal life (in chicken terms) other than not having a head.

I’m not making this up.

Obviously, this remarkable story means we should have a festival!  Watch a 5K race where humans run like their heads are cut off.  Listen to live entertainment, admire the car show, and cheer on your favorite participant (or join in the fun yourself) in the Lawn Mower Races, the Wing Eating Contest, Chuck a Chicken (which we hope means to throw it rather than…), Rubber Duck Football, and the dreaded Chicken Dance Contest (complete with a Polka Band!).

There are “Mike Movies” playing in a tent (Chick flicks, I assume), and even a Tractor Parade.

For the grand finale, there is the “Strut, Cluck & Crow, & Contest”.   That should be different.

Mike’s Festival schedule provides more details on the event.

So, don’t be a chicken — head on over to Fruita and celebrate the life of Mike, who had an incredible will to live.