Tag Archive for ‘Snowdown’ at Beside the Stream

I don’t know if outhouse stuffing is standard festival activity but, like the belt sander races, it’s a Snowdown tradition. It is a formalized affair. First the portapotty is declared clean by the gentleman with red mittens. You can see that the team on the left has already shed their coats.

A team starts to file into the outhouse as the gentleman with the earflaps and red mittens keeps count

two, three, four

five six

seven eight nine

The chamber is declared full,

the door is shut and the crowd chants to ten.

Then the door bursts open and everyone spills out. It’s like watching a film clip run forwards and backwards.

This time around, 16 people were squished in the Affordable John. Last year, the winning team was 20 people (and yes, there is a minimum age requirement so no one assembles a team of toddlers.) You wouldn’t think it, but outhouse stuffing is another surprisingly entertaining winter activity.

During Snowdown, people not only dress up their belt sanders, they also dress up their dogs. Here are just a few of the dogs attending the canine fashion show. Some of the dogs already have winter sweaters and just need a few accessories.

I bet this old dog’s pig costume was used in a school play.

This bulldog knight likes the pig-dog. I think the bulldog costume must be an actual bulldog snowsuit with a sword and plume for Snowdown. I didn’t even know they made bulldog snowsuits.