Fire Department arrived in time winning the 2011 outhouse race!
THE OUTHOUSE in Carrizozo history:
The town was founded in 1899, at a time when the neighboring gold mining community of White Oaks was in decline. Many residences and businesses moved from White Oaks to Carrizozo including the Exchange Bank owned by William C. McDonald, our state’s first Governor. McDonald was planning a festive day to celebrate the Carrizozo Exchange Bank’s new location* one Saturday morning in April, 1907. However, Ira Wetmore, the Governor’s nemesis, had other plans. He placed eight OUTHOUSES directly across the street from the new bank to show his contempt for the business. This influential rivalry continued and gave rise to many of Carrizozo’s idiosyncrasies. Such as our streets layout and design. All because of a little night soil. Join us, Labor Day, to celebrate the glory days of the Thunder Box! * The Masonic Lodge purchased the Carrizozo Exchange Bank building in 1925 when the bank went bust. It continues in that fashion today.
· Each heat consists of 2 or 3 teams depending on the number of entrants. We will have double elimination to determine who participates in the final race for the trophy.
· The “track” will be from the post office to 5th Avenue.
· The course will be set up with slight curves that each team is to maneuver through.
· There will be 6 “gates” which will be a traffic cone and a broomstick.
· The 2 outside team members will push the outhouse towards a gate. They must slow/stop the outhouse at each gate so the inside rider can place a roll of toilet paper on the broomstick. The rider cannot grab the pole of the gate. Then the pushers race to the next gate and so on.
Great idea!!!
Great fun! Can’t wait to participate.
THANK YOU for trying to bring some good old fashioned, off the wall, FUN back to Carrizozo!!! Was telling my elderly neighbor about this and she smiled real big and said it reminded her of the time a bunch of women were kidnapped at 6:AM and got hauled out of their houses in their BATHROBES cuz thats all the local kidnappers would let them put on. I think she said it was girls from the womans club, or maybe it was belco?? Hard to remember, I was laughing too hard, but ask some of the old timers here about it!!! So give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done and bringing back happy memories, and laughter to at least one local seniors day.
Nice work guys!