See the latest Downtown News.
Throwback Thursday: Pigeons on a Jamboree
by Sarah Angst
In May of 1914, the streets of downtown Lebanon saw a scene that could have come straight out of a slapstick comedy if the main characters had not been a bunch of pigeons.
According to an article from The Lebanon Rustic Republican, a heavily loaded liquor wagon was rumbling across the streetcar tracks when one of the kegs at the very top came loose. It hit the ground hard and shattered, sending a wave of liquor flowing across the brick paved street. The driver, unfazed, kept moving. One more bump in the road.
But it turns out he left more than a mess. That spilled liquor collected in a dip in the pavement, and not long after, a curious pigeon came fluttering down to take a drink. Whatever it expected, it was not that. Still, one sip led to another, and before long the pigeon was weaving and wobbling across the street, too drunk to fly.
Word must have gotten out in the bird world because soon more pigeons arrived to join the party. A few minutes later, a passerby spotted a dozen pigeons in the gutter, some dancing, some napping, all clearly under the influence. The scene took another turn when a mangy dog crept up on them, only to lose his balance and collapse right there beside them. As it turns out, the dog was drunk too.
So yes, downtown Lebanon once hosted a full blown bird bender with a passed out dog and a keg that never made it to its destination.
These days, we like to think we keep our parties a little more under control, but downtown is still full of surprises. You never know what kind of story will spill out next.
