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Sucker Day

There’s that old saying that a sucker is born every minute.  Take this story dated March 26, 1952, from Wetumka, Oklahoma as an example.

It seems that back in 1950, a man named F. Bam Morrison announced that the circus was on its way to Wetumka. The kind people of that city donated money to help feed the elephants and the rest of the animals.  A local merchant paid Morrison to obtain the rights to run the hot dog concession.  

Everything was all set for the big day, but the circus never arrived.  Instead, F. Bam Morrison skipped town with their money.  Maybe he went to Venus with it.

Then, a year later, on March 15th, the townspeople lined the streets to welcome the well-known Kilties Drum and Bugle Corps.  Once again, the show never arrived. The mayor checked the letter he had received from the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.  It turns out that they were scheduled to arrive on April 15th, not March 15th.  

Oops!

The city council responded with a chuckle and decided to designate August 30th of each year as Sucker Day.  They still celebrate it annually, although it is now held on the last Saturday of September.  The next Sucker Day Festival is scheduled for September 26th of 2015, so be sure to mark it on your calendar!

Wetumka Sucker Day '77 Queen Gail Pack
Wetumka Sucker Day ’77 Queen Gail Pack. Image appeared on page 4C of the August 21, 1977 issue of the ADA Sunday News.
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