A Horse of Many Different Colors!

James Edwin Ed Weddle Photographic Collection, 1948-1981
Available on KDL at http://name.kdl.kyvl.org/KUKAV-1997AV27-1367

Why in the world would someone want to put polka dots on an otherwise perfectly good mule? We don't know! A prank? A parade? A party? Either way, the poor thing looks none too happy about it as he gazes haplessly, yet amazingly calmly (good horsey!) into James Edwin Weddle's camera.

Unfortunately, with "no publication notice present," no date or context is offered for this 8x10 black & white print other than "Men spray painting polka-dots on a mule." So, we offer it up to you to take a whack at what this mule did to deserve a new "coat" of paint!

(*Note: To our knowledge, no animals were harmed in the making of this blog. But that doesn't seem to make this one any happier!)

Racing For Love, Life, & Freedom?

Keys' Sadie Hawkins Day Race - UK Stoll Field (1951)
Source: 1952 Kentuckian, p. 278

Gals, grab your guys! Sadie Hawkins Day is upon us!

This pseduo-holiday debuted in Al Capp's Li'l Abner comic strip back in November 1937, and quickly caught on, in American pop culture for decades to follow. The story began when Sadie Hawkins, the "ugliest" female residing in the fictional Dogpatch, KY, tried to find her fella. So, her father set up a foot race for umarried girls to chase after the unclaimed bachelors of the town. Two years later, Life magazine reported that a couple hundred college campuses, including the University of Kentucky, picked up on this popular trend.

The tradition carried on for another 40 years or so, with young women chasing down young men; all dressed up in caricature or and stereotypical "hillbilly" outfits. Later, after the "Sally Mae"s caught their "Li'l Abner"s (both characters from the comic), a Sadie Hawkins Day dance typically ensued, where the best Sally Mae and Li'l Abner were chosen.

Though the exact date of Sadie Hawkins Day is often debated, it's generally around mid-November; most often either the Saturday after November 9th (unsure of this basis) or on November 15th (the anniversary of its 1st appearance in Al Capp's comic strip). Either way, it should NEVER be confused with another cited "Sadie Hawkins Day" date - February 29, or Leap Year - when women are "allowed" to propose marriage to men. The true Sadie Hawkins Day was set (though unintentionally) by Al Capp, in 1937, in his fictional little mountain town in KY.

Funny Flickr Photos

7/31/1953. The multi-headed cabbage, John C. Wyatt photographs: 2004AV001

Every archives sees its fair share of funny, or just plain odd, photos. Now there is a place to share them: the Funny Photos From the Archives group on Flickr. UK is now participating in this photo group, as are 19 other archives. Tag a photo, let us know what you think, and be sure to bookmark the site as we'll continue adding to our photostream.