The Great Hoedown Showdown
Squaring off against a snake in the hay.
The Group: Pottsville Elementary School PTO, Pottsville, Ark.
The Setting: The annual Harvest Hoedown, held by the group every October for the last 10 years. The event is a dance and spaghetti dinner. It attracts 1,500 people and raises $20,000.
The Idea: Decorate the school cafeteria with bales of hay to set the mood.
What Went Wrong: Bales were toted in and the mood set—by a copperhead snake who made a live appearance on stage during dinner. He had apparently climbed into one of the bales to get warm. The Pottsville PTO had unwittingly provided him with an unwanted change of venue.
What Happened Next: The Hoedown Showdown, now a Pottsville legend. A teacher, a parent, and a maintenance man pursued the snake across the floor.
The Outcome: Eventually, the snake was cornered and retired from show biz. The audience expressed its appreciation.
Quote: Says Pottsville PTO’s current president-elect, Cindy Thompson, “A no hay policy was implemented immediately.”
Other Hoedown High Jinx: Says Thompson: “At our fifth Harvest Hoedown, we decided to have a beauty shop. We offered colored hairspray for attendees.” Let’s just say they were intoxicated by the idea. “After about an hour, we had to evacuate that part of the hall because of all the fumes. Didn’t do that again.”
