Every year Yucca, Arizona has a nice little Veteran’s Day Parade, which hundreds of people turn out for. This year the newly-formed Yucca Area Arts Council (YAAC) joined in the festivities by holding a couple of simultaneous fundraiser activities to benefit the arts instruction program for the 32 kids at the Yucca School, and to help complete the large western themed mural on the cafe in town which YAAC started earlier this year. Goat Bingo was one of these fundraising activities. People can win prizes by buying a square inside a goat pen, and winning if the goat deposits its “stuff” inside the square with their name on it. Any extra funds go to the YAAC and the community in some regard.
YAAC also held a yard sale of donated items, again with all proceeds going to the community in the form of arts instruction for the school, or the western mural on the cafe near the US Post Office and the Fire Department that is about 2/3 completed. Veteran’s Day activities were held all up and down the main frontage road along the highway, and YAAC’s events were held in front of the newly-restored Train Depot which can be seen in the left background. Built circa 1884, the historic building used to be located about a half mile away on the main train line. It was a ticketing office and travel station for passengers back when the local tracks actually carried humans. Today, aside from two Amtrak trains that pass by in the early morning hours every night, the rails are used almost entirely for freight trains. But the historic ATSF Train Depot serves as a reminder of this small town’s 140-year history.
Anyway, back to Goat Bingo…. Owner Raul starts to tempt the goat with food in an effort to get her to make a deposit somewhere. The orange grid on the ground corresponds to a paper grid hanging on the rails, upon which the names of square buyers are written.
Similar to the Kentucky Derby, wacky headwear can be seen upon some Goat Bingo attendees. High Desert Fashion! (P.S. If this hat looks like a lampshade, it’s because it was. She evidently forgot to bring sunscreen so she borrowed a shade from the yard sale for awhile.)
Green beans have a lot of fiber. That should help loosen the goat up, shouldn’t it?
Goat Bingo buyers coax the goat to poop in their square. The goat is not being cooperative with anyone in particular, merely going around getting various food handouts. Spinach, beans, hay, weeds. She’s a goat, she’ll eat anything!
Hmmm, this Goat Bingo game is taking awhile. It’s been nearly a half hour and despite much fiber and excited attention, the goat has not yet seen fit to grace anyone’s square with a gift. Perhaps if Raul gets the goat to do some calisthenics?
Maybe we should let the pony show the goat how to act. In fact, maybe the pony can scare the crap out of the goat?
I am sorry to report that the life of Cactusman has been sadly reduced to paying close attention to a goat butt in hopes of getting a “money shot”. Pathetic. I will never be able to run for public office now.
Bingo! After almost 40 minutes, we finally have a winner! The square with the most pellets wins, and the square with the next most pellets gets second prize. I will keep the identity of the person who was tasked with counting fresh goat pellets a secret to protect the innocent. (Disclaimer: It was not me. Although now two careers can potentially be ruined.)
The winning square is number 27!
The lucky Goat Bingo winner with her first prize, an Android Flex tablet. The goat wins everlasting internet fame herself, and the town gains some public art that helps improve the community and make this an even nicer place to live. Happy Veteran’s Day, everyone.
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