The Feast of Fools likely originated in central Europe during the Middle Ages as “a
celebration marked by much license and buffoonery.” KVNF’s Marty Durlin previews
the local version of the Feast of Fools, created in the late 1970s by a group of 30-yr-old
newcomers to the North Fork Valley.
The Feast of Fools is coming up on Saturday at Memorial Hall and the folks who have
kept this tradition going since the late seventies are considering what skits, songs and
outrageous jokes they might come up with this year. Hotchkiss resident Don Foster has
lived here for close to half a century and recalls his experience with this local ritual.
"The first one I recall was in Patrick's Packing Shed, now the Trading Post out on Black
Bridge Road. It was a big old kind of cold space, but it did have a big cast iron stove and
everybody brought blankets," said Foster.
He describes how community members sat around and felt their way into the first Feast
of Fools. "There wasn't much to do in the valley back then in terms of entertainment, and
we looked for any opportunity to get together," he said.
The event was a “word of mouth coming together” that hadn't been done before. But there was “great energy in the community for a Feast of Fools,” according to
longtime participant Bernie Heideman.
He recalled the spirit of playfulness that infused the event in the early years. "Some great skits. Some people were really good. There was such a vibrant New Age community back then. I mean, there were a lot of people that were good at being funny," he said.
"People had time to get together and do skits and the whole nine yards. I mean, there was costuming and props.” But at the same time, said Foster, there were also skits that were spur-of-the-moment.
“You know, that day, call a couple of people, line up a cast — the idea was poking fun at
anything that bothered you in the neighborhood, you know, or politically. Like the school
board or the video store or the library, and sometimes people," Foster said.
"It wasn't long after we moved here in 2001 that we found out that there was something
to go watch in the middle of winter," said Lenore Cambria, who leapt right into the spirit
of the event.
"And at that time, maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like it was down at the fairgrounds in
Heritage Hall. And it was it was just an outrageous, fun event. And then I got involved
with a theater group here," she said.
"We decided that the 'hot butt issue' or button issue, I should say for it the next year was,
yeah, the hot button issue was the mosquito control. And so we all dressed up like
mosquitoes. And we had these tinfoil noses that we made that stuck out about seven
inches out from our faces," Cambria joked.
She describes how the actors were discussing “from the mosquitoes’ point of view, the
different things that could be used and what the mosquitoes really liked. And I think we
had a song that went along with it, too. So it was just really a complete piece. It was a
complete package. And of course, we thought we were entertaining. And so who
knows,” Cambria quipped.
Cambria offered future participants some sage advice:
"This is one thing to consider. If you write a little skit or something and you just show up
with it, people will jump in to be your characters so you don't have to have rehearse
anything. In fact, it's probably preferable you don’t!”
The Feast of Fools takes place at Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss Saturday, January 18th. It
begins with a potluck at 5:30 and continues through the evening with entertainment by
attendees starting at 7 pm.
