Is there anything more American than a good old Missouri mule? Maybe - but in Fulton, known as the "Mule Capital of the World," the mule still rules.
For that reason, back in 2006 (as several persons recall), the Fulton Street Fair organizers were searching for a mascot to make the fair more attractive to young'uns.
"We decided a mascot would do the trick and help generate buzz, especially among the youth," said Tom Harris of the Callaway Bank. "We also knew this meant we would likely need a mascot costume and someone had to wear it in 90-degree heat."
The mule was kind of a no-brainer because of the town's historical ties to the long-eared critters. (The title could be disputed by Columbia, Tennessee, which also considers itself to be the mule capital of the world and host of an annual Mule Day celebration.)
The superiority of the Missouri mule was attributed to the state's plentiful and nutritious bluegrass and water. According to the University of Missouri, the Missouri mule stood about 16 hands "from the top of the wither to the bottom of the forefoot." They could be black, bay, gray or sorrel, and the sheen of their coasts was said to be exceptional.
According to author John Garrett (who penned a history of the area), Fulton began hosting farm auctions one Monday a month on the square around the Callaway County Courthouse in 1876 - 140 years ago. Reportedly, there were as many as six auctioneers simultaneously conducting business and selling thousands of dollars of livestock. Garrett said on one sales day in 1910, total sales receipts for the day were more than $1.5 million dollars.
Fulton's livestock sales made a great and strong market for mules, cattle, sheep, hogs, horses and other farm commodities. According to "Callaway County Memories," a book published by the Fulton Sun back in 2014, the Monday livestock sales were so big that school was conducted Tuesday through Saturday on the week of the sale. Many mules were raised here and shipped to the South to work in cotton and cane fields, the book stated.
Garrett mentioned the importance of the "Good ole' Missouri Mule," vital through the second World War. Fulton, he said, was part of an area that claimed to be the world's greatest mule "feeding" ground, shipping out and selling 2,000 to 3,000 mules every year.
"They were certainly a big part of the area," said Ruthie Reynolds of the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society. "We've got a scrapbook about mules."
In fact, the scrapbook has newspaper clippings and photographs going back into the 1800s. It can be visited at the society's museum, 513 Court St.
According to Garrett, the animal sales in Fulton were strongest in the spring and the fall.
"Considering all the mule has done to help Fulton, it is somewhat grievous that the mule has almost become a curiosity and cannot even boast posterity," he wrote.
Melissa Siegel of the YMCA of Callaway County said she'd heard some of this history.
"That is why a mule was chosen for the mascot," she said.
As soon as that was determined, a costume was ordered, according to Harris.
"We found a costume online somewhere, a custom job as I recall," he said. "But we couldn't agree on a name for the mascot."
A contest was launched a few weeks before the street fair for people to submit names for the new mascot, Harris said.
"I recall a prize might have been offered," he added. "The name would be announced during the Street Fair parade."
There were many entries, Harris recalled, and most were really good, well thought-out ones.
"The committee overwhelmingly accepted the name "Callaway Jack" or "C.J." for short," he said.
Mules continue to be part of the Fulton Street Fair, scheduled for June 17-18 in the Brick District.
For anyone interested in a riding mount, field worker or pasture ornament, a live mule auction will take place from 5-6 p.m. June 17 on the Courthouse square where it's always been. Following that will be mule bingo, an event hard to describe in a family newspaper. From 6-7 p.m. is the Callaway County Derby, a race involving cabled go-karts nicknamed "mules."
Visit Fultonstreetfair.com for more information.