Plucky Rooster Contest

Compete for ribbons and other prizes! Join the Plucky Rooster Contest!  Contest is open to everyone. Construct a Plucky Rooster from anything, ranging from toys and tools to plastic bags, wood, PVC and soda containers, to create a sturdy weather resistant body and stand. Minimum size is 3 feet and and maximum size is 5 feet.  Entry fee is $5 per individual and $10 for a group.  Deadline for registration is August 26, 2007. Entry forms may be picked up and dropped off at the Corner Stone Book Shop, 110 Margaret Street, the North Country Co-op, 35 Bridge Street.

This year's celebration of the Battle of Plattsburgh will include for the second time a Plucky Rooster Contest. Individuals, businesses, families, clubs, and other organizations are encouraged to enter their Plucky Rooster creations and compete for cash and other prizes.

Why a Rooster? Legend has it that at the beginning of the naval engagement in Plattsburgh Bay on September 11, 1814, British Capt. George Downie of the frigate Confiance fired cannon shot at American Commander Thomas MacDonough's ship Saratoga.  A cannonball hit a chicken coop on board the Saratoga. A rooster inside, instead of being frightened at his sudden release, jumped up on a cannon, flapped his wings, and crowed lustily! The men laughed and cheered, and immediately fired their cannons. This story of the Plucky Rooster has been handed down over time and is depicted in a mural in Plattsburgh's City Hall. The U.S. Navy has had the rooster mascot on several of its ships including the USS Saratoga. (Information adapted from various sources.)

Jane Claffey says that the contest is open to everyone and stresses that there is no right or wrong way to construct a Plucky Rooster. They encourage entrants to use their imaginations and creativity and any kind of construction materials they can lay their hands on: toys, tools, plastic bags, chicken wire, soda containers, and so forth. Plucky Rooster entries should be 3-dimensional, sturdy and weather resistant and be able to stand or attached to a stake (provided), with a minimum height of 3 feet and maximum of 5 feet. Select a name for your Plucky Rooster. Individuals will pay an entry fee of $5 and groups, $10.

Entry forms, available in Plattsburgh at the Corner Stone Bookshop and the North Country Co-op, must be completed and returned no later than August 26th.

All Plucky Rooster submissions will be on public display around the MacDonough Monument as part of the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration Celebration, on Saturday, September 8, 2007, from 9 AM until 4 PM. Contest winners in two categories - under 15 years of age, and over 15 years of age - will be announced during the Battle of Plattsburgh Parade, which will start at 2 PM on September 8.

For further details, please call Jack Barrette at (518) 563-6186 or Jane Claffey at (518) 561-4296.