Moo-Dah milks fun for all it's worth

An interpretation of 'Thriller' won the Knock My Socks Off award.

By David Conway

Published Oct. 6, 2009

At 12:50 p.m. Saturday, Flat Branch Park was empty. Only 10 minutes later, a squad of dancers featuring a man dressed in a cow costume had begun practicing the dance from Michael Jackson’s "Thriller." A few onlookers stopped and stared, pondering the source of the peculiar sight.

The spectacle was part of the Third Annual Occasional Moo-Dah Parade, which bills itself as a parade about nothing. Participants gathered in the parking lot of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and, at 2:01 p.m., took off to a chorus of yelling, cowbells and a van blaring a song "Who Let The Cows Out?"

The procession, lead by a purple cow decked-out in makeup made its way out of Flat Branch Park and traveled down Elm Street. There, each group stopped and performed for the judges, often throwing candy to the crowd in the process. Acts included children dressed as boxes of milk duds, a man with a chicken head and gorilla body and a choreographed dance with book carts.

"We had a lot of fun," said Lorenzo Scott, who participated with the Coyote Hill Christian Children's Home. "It was kind of weird in the beginning being in the public eye, but we had a lot of fun."

Columbia resident Jesse Springman said he enjoyed the performances for the judges, but felt the event should be an even grander spectacle.

"I wish there was more knowledge, more people involved," Springman said. "This is a fun event, it should be big."

Crowds were sparse throughout the parade route. Among those who did show up to watch, the low turnout was attributed to the weather, which sat in the low to mid 50s, and a lack of promotion both before and during the event.

Linda Vandepopuliere, at the parade with her family, said she had been waiting on Broadway for 20 minutes before she was informed the published route had changed. For her, this only added to the experience.

"It was about the silliness and the element of surprise," said Vandepopuliere, who finally got to watch the parade as it made its way back into Flat Branch Park. "You never know what's going to happen with Moo-Dah."

At 2:30, another round of cheers emerged from Flat Branch Park as the parade drew to a close. The participants gathered together for the awards ceremony. The grand prize, called the Knock My Socks Off award, went to Commerce Bank, the group behind the "Thriller" dance. Another accolade, the What The Heck Was That? award, went to Fire Good Productions, a group highlighted by a performer dancing inside a flaming hula hoop.

Despite the lighthearted nature of the parade, a number of the participants used the parade to bring attention to a cause.

The book cart dancers, who called themselves the Dewey Decimators, were promoting the Daniel Boone Regional Library. A group of women in fur coats holding signs reading "Billionaires for Wealthcare" and claiming to be named things such as Lotta Cash and Betta Thanew were a part of the Columbia Area National Organization for Women. All proceeds from the parade itself were donated to the United Way.

After the parade drew to a conclusion, festival organizer Megan McConachie said the event was a step up from last year.

"I definitely think we've improved on it," McConachie said. "It's growing in popularity. We had more groups involved this year and it was a really nice day out."

For the Moo-Dah parade, success can be defined in simpler terms than attendance.

"I think everyone had fun and that's what we're all about," McConachie said. "Fun and nonsense."