Mike the Headless Chicken and a Choose-Your-Climate Adventure

Wherein Moominmama volunteers at the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival and sees snow, spring green and summer heat all within 50 miles...

Highs are hitting the mid 90°s here in Fruita, just west of Grand Junction, Colorado, but Moominmama volunteered for a shift at the 25th annual Mike the Headless Chicken Festival so the heat just had to be endured!

Mike the Headless Chicken is one of Fruita's claims to fame. The story goes something like this: In September of 1945, Fruita farmers Lloyd and Clara Olsen were preparing a batch of chickens for market, hacking off their heads and plucking their feathers after they fell over. 

Except Mike, a rooster, never fell over. Despite the absence of a head, he was still running around the barnyard the next day, and Lloyd decided to feed him via an eyedropper inserted into his gullet. Word got round, and folks stopped by to see this strange miracle.

Someone eventually persuaded the Olsens to have scientists examine the bird. They concluded that Lloyd's axe had missed the jugular vein and also left the base of Mike's brain intact. Mike still had basic motor functions even absent the rest of his head. 

A promoter got wind of this bird after LIFE magazine featured the story (with photos). The promoter arranged several tours with Mike as the attraction, netting the Olsens some much-welcome extra income. People also came to Fruita to see him. 

Mike finally flew to chicken heaven in 1947 after a bit of mucus caught in his throat. But he'd lived to see (well, not exactly see) another 18 months past his slaughter date, and it could be argued he lives on to this day in Fruita history and humor (local t-shirt: "Fruita: a no brainer.")

So the festival features a variety of zany fun including a guy in a headless chicken walk-around costume. There's a 4H display to show what chickens look like with their heads on. There are crafters selling stuffed chickens. 

There's a peep eating contest, in which children stuff a box of yellow marshmallow peeps in their mouths as fast as they can (see photo above). There's live music and food trucks and the usual festival staples. This is its 25th year, thanks to a ton of volunteers! 

Moominmama heard about Mike a couple years ago, and timed her stay in the Grand Valley this year to attend the festival. I wanted to take a break from travel to stay in a familiar place but also see the Grand Mesa when I wasn't skiing on it! 

A day hike at Mesa Lakes just above 9.000 feet required crossing some patches of snow, but there was even more snow at higher elevations, so I was glad I didn't venture all the way up to 11,000 feet. 

Moominmama instead made reservations at a state park in another section of the mesa, a plateau on the northeast side at 8,000 feet. Well now, that turned out to be perfect! Like Goldilocks, I tried the overheated 4,500-foot elevation valley, the snowy mesa-top and found the climate to be just right at 8,000 feet!


I even had the north end of the lake to myself the day after Memorial Day! And, that cold blue water was a temptation I couldn't resist. Time for a plunge!




Location: Fruita, CO, USA

Comments

  1. JeffoFittsJune 2, 2025 at 9:26 PM

    My dad had an egg business at age 6 in 1930 with 300 hens ultimately. He too had a headless chicken live for several days and fed its neck. He never told me knowing about Mike.

    ReplyDelete

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