A bunch of bull.....

There isn't much I haven't heard about, working all these years in the events business.

But today was special. I got a call from a parent who's organizing a fundraising event at a local school. He wanted to know if he needed a permit for the activity he was planning.

"So," I said. "Why don't you tell me what your plans are?"

"Have you ever heard of Cowpatty Bingo?"

Apparently, this is a real thing. You take a large field or paved area, grid it off into squares, and sell off squares at ten or so bucks a pop. Then you let a cow wander out onto the space and do what cows do.

The buyer of the "winning" square gets a cut of the money as a prize, the rest going to the charity.

My caller wanted to know if he needed a permit to organize this.

Fortunately, our city doesn't require permits for events on private property, so he was fine. But then he wanted to know whether he'd run into any opposition from animal rights groups, or if there were any laws that might affect his event.

Well - our city is famous - some might say notorious - for being passionate about animal rights. In the past, a squirrel abatement campaign came under serious fire from activists. Just this year, children's pony rides at the Farmers Market were outlawed on the grounds of animal cruelty.

He did allow as how some of the moms on the committee were concerned for the cow's sense of dignity, and wanted to make sure the event wasn't humiliating for her.

I suggested he contact the SPCA.

What's next, Donkey Basketball?