Historical Context:  A Piece or Two of Ox is a Piece of History

 

When Scottville main street was paved in 1910, it was decided that a celebration should be held, so there was an ox roast held under the supervision of John W. Griswold, Whirley Cobb, and Gus Andree. The ox was roasted on the site where the Village Square, Carl Smith's old Western Tire Auto store, is located now. Potato salad & other refreshments were served with the ox from a serving shelf built around the roasting pit, and the meat reportedly was scorched on the outside, raw on the inside, and needed much more salt.

 

The Civil War veterans paraded with their band, there was saddle horse racing near the railroad tracks (where First street is now), and professional vaudeville artists were brought in by business men. The boys had a greased pole with some money on top, and a greased pig got loose in the crowd, and tripped a lady, causing her to fall and break her leg. As the grand finale, there was a balloon ascension, but as the balloon was being filled, the wind became brisker, and a kerosene generator, being used to make the gas to inflate the balloon, became caught in the ropes as the balloon swung on the moorings. As the balloonist and his helpers tried to untangle it, the balloon was released, carrying the balloonist and generator with it. The balloonist managed to tie the hot generator so it wouldn't fall on the crowd, though burning his arms severely in doing so. As soon as he could jump with safety, he parachuted, allowing the balloon and generator to drift to Ford Lake before landing.   Around the year 1924 the annual Harvest Festival was organized.  Read more here.

 

The Ox Roast was thus introduced into the folklore of Scottville's rich history, and every year the Harvest Festival was held, which was annually after World War Two, the Free Ox Roast was a big draw, often getting its own headlines in the Ludington Daily News and Mason County Press, such as in 1952:

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19520923&id=W...

 

Right Now:  Can't Yoke $1600 for the Ox

 

The current Mason County Press made the following announcement this last Sunday: 

"A 100-year tradition appears to have come to an end in Scottville. The popular ox roast, which dates back to 1910, will not happen this year, the first time since it was suspended during World War II. The removal of the ox roast is not the only change.

The Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the Scottville Harvest Festival and it has requested the Scottville city commission approve street closures for Saturday, Sept. 14. Traditionally the festival has required street closures for Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the festival.

Also missing from this year’s agenda is the carnival. The festival committee has struggled with the carnival issue the past few years. Because of the shortness of the festival – traditionally three days – and the time of year, it’s been a challenge to hire a quality carnival. A few years ago the chamber received many complaints about the carnival, so it chose not to have one the following year. That decision brought several complaints as well and the carnival was brought back."

 http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/08/04/no-ox-roast-at-this-year...

Most of the other attractions are left in, including the entertainment (beer) tent, the parade, the grand parade, tractor pull, queen pageant, etc.  The MCP followed up with a response from the Ludington & Scottville Chamber of Commerce, who are the main organizers of the event in its modern manifestation

"The Scottville Harvest Committee has not received enough funds to continue the ox roast this year. The funds from one night of the entertainment tent that would normally offset the ox roast are being donated to the Mason County Central Educational Foundation. MCC Educational Foundation continues to take an active role in the community. Its volunteers will be manning the Friday night entertainment this year and have an exciting evening planned. Without the help of a major sponsor (or a group of co-sponsors) coming forward to help with the approximate expense of $1,600.00 along with volunteers, the ox roast event will not be able to be sustained.”

“We are excited about the new partnerships,” said Kathy Maclean, president and CEO of the Chamber. “Together we are bringing fresh ideas to this event to ensure it can continue for many years."

 http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/08/05/chamber-responds-to-harv...

Analysis:  Change for Tradition's Sake

Why are they diverting funds from the beer tent to the MCC Education Fund (who, like the Chamber, can use the money they gain any way they want without transparency) rather than the Ox Roast, so that this can be a self-sustaining event? 

The Ox Roast is an integral part of Scottville; as one who grew up on the south side, the roast signified the beginning of the festival, and was a set tradition, a part of the culture of growing up in the Scottville area.  The same people who tout 'fresh ideas' and being excited about new partnerships are trashing our culture.   

And it's sad that it is being done by Kathy MacLean, who grew up near Scottville, went to MCC schools, and one of the people so excited about our recently developed cultural economic development plan.  Yes, this is the same Kathy MacLean who serves as the treasurer of the Ludington Downtown Development Authority, diverting money from that organization to help pay her staff.  The same Kathy MacLean who claimed to have ownership of the property of 102 West Ludington Avenue through the LLC she and her husband own, and qualified for hundreds of thousands in State grant money she wasn't legitimately deserving of. 

As business owner Richard Cox said at the Scottville Commissioner's meeting:  “I hate to see Scottville die and that’s what’s happening.  After all these years to say ‘nope, we aren’t going to have it,’ I think it’s poor communications. I know there aren’t a lot of businesses left in Scottville, but I want to help any way I can. I hate to see something like this go down the tubes. It’s just another piece of dirt on the grave.  Maybe we ought to get rid of the chamber and run it (the festival) ourselves.  For them to wait until August and come out with this (news about the ox roast being cancelled), what are we supposed to do to plan something like this?” 

 

The Scottville City Manager admits that a lot of the Harvest Festival sponsorships and people that run it are coming from Ludington.  Which comes to the point:  Scottville is on the brink of a precipice, and they won't get off that until they start realizing that their DDA, their Main Street Programs, their Chamber of Commerce, their school district, and their City government are more interested in their own survival and prosperity, rather than the survival and prosperity of the people of the community.  And that's why they are on the brink of insolvency.  Whereas, Custer looks to be going the opposite direction in philosophy and economy. 

Fortunately, WMOM (another Ludington source, who are also helping fund a free movie with MCP at the band shell) sounds as if they are starting a campaign to assist the cause to get the ox roast funded and manned, so we can get this 100 year old tradition maintained, and maybe in the process, get the dwindling reserve of people in Scottville to lift themselves back up from under the burden of heavy taxation and the many layers of government and business partnered bureaucracy that holds back their community from being a community, especially at Harvest Festival time. 

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It is surprising that the powers that be can't come up with the $1600 on their own.. I mean in the grand scheme of things, $1600 is really not that much, specially for something that is such a grand tradition... almost makes you wonder how hard they even tried to keep it going. I saw someone post a comment on the story that if only 160 people threw in $10 that the event would be covered, several people responded that they would do that and a few saying they would throw in even more.

Indigent little ol' me would be willing to throw the full $1600 in, contingent on these three things being implemented:  1) Resignation of ethically-challenged Kathy MacLean from the L/S Chamber of Commerce,  2)  Dissolution of the Scottville DDA and Main Street Program, and the re-establishment and revitalization of the Scottville Chamber of Commerce/Jaycees, independent of the Scottville City Government and 3)  The Ludington Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau foots the bill for the carnival aspect of the Harvest Festival.  The LACVB  have taken hundreds of thousands in revenue in Mason County over the last couple years with their 'room tax' to spend on marketing in out of state markets and speculative advertising.  Why not use the money to improve what we have here to offer the tourists in the 'off-season'?  My offer is valid until the end of August, so get on it, whomever it may concern.

XLFD- Do you happen to know the name of the discussion regarding Kathy Maclean  

"The same Kathy MacLean who claimed to have ownership of the property of 102 West Ludington Avenue through the LLC she and her husband own, and qualified for hundreds of thousands in State grant"

when clicking on it brings to a link about her and Holman  but not the full report. That would be an interesting read.

I haven't revealed the full details just yet, but there has been a reason for that.  I hope to present the full record in time, once it is properly reviewed.

Good post X. This is another example of self serving agencies that are trying to leach off others for their own benefit and at the expense of the people they are supposed to be serving.

Now they're back.  Due to the controversy, the Ox Roast and the Carnival amusements are back.  I'm going to Scottville Mid-September for sure.

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/08/06/ox-roast-and-carnival-wi...

Donations are still needed to offset continuing these traditions. WMOM FM 102.7 will lead a fundraising campaign for the Ox Roast beginning tomorrow, August 7, 2013. If interested in placing a monetary donation or a donation of time please contact Richard Cox of Cox’s Sales & Service at (231) 757-2275.

Here is another thing, the fundraising/sponsorship letters were only sent out this month! I got mine last week. Shouldn't the sponsorship requests be sent out back in MAY at least not AUGUST!

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