The Bangtail Muster

Bangtail Muster

What a great day! May Day! The kids were out of school for this official Australian holiday but Jason had to work. But I'm sure he felt that being back at work after his two week absence was better than having to help with the pre-school's Bangtail Muster parade float. "Bangtail what?" you ask. The Bangtail Muster. Happy day in Alice Springs! Big parade with lots of wonderfully decorated floats and people. And our pre-school kids (Gracie's class) participated. Of course it was a lot of parental hard work. I co-coordinated with another Mom and, as much fun as it was, we both were very glad when it was over. It was quite a success.

Bangtail Muster originated in Australia as a roundup of cattle where the end of their tail hairs were cut straight across to ensure they had been counted for transportation. Somewhere along the years, the Bangtail Muster evolved into an official holiday in Alice Springs where it has been a favorite May festival for over 25 years - held on May Day. Every year there is a themed parade that winds through the Todd Mall (an outdoor shopping area).

This year's parade theme was "The Australian Work Horse - The Ute". Which as you should know from one of my Christmas posts (if you've been paying attention) the Ute is like a truck. The pre-school also sets a theme of it's own for the kids. This year is International Year of the Potato and we thought it would be great to have a Mr. Potato Head theme. So combined, we came up with the "Spuds Ute" (as you can see on the license plate). It was basically a truck full of potatoes - or should I say Potato Heads.

The Mr. Potato Head hats and the potatoes used for decoration along the float, as well as the stuffed potatoes in the sacks were all made by the pre-schoolers. Pretty good job. We sang to The Wiggles "Hot Potato" song as we rode along. Click on the pick to watch it evolve.