For four days every year Columbia, celebrates everything related to the mule. Roots for this celebration began around 1840 with Breeders day, which was a livestock and market day. The U. S. Military began breeding and training Mules in Columbia for use in WWI. The first Mule Day was in 1934, and since 1974 it has been under the sponsorship of The Maury County Bridle and Saddle Club. They know how to host a Celebration as over 200,000 people attend over the four days. But the stars every year are the thousands of Mules who show off. And showing off is something we noticed a lot of the Mules doing.
Mules are considered to be very intelligent and hard workers. Today we watched with much interest an old-fashioned log-pulling competition. The pairs were hooked to the log and they pulled to see which team could pull the furthest. Some pulled with ease, while others struggled with the weight. One team lowered their heads and gave it all they had. They completed the pull and once disconnected they strutted with their heads held high. They were proud of what they accomplished. This same behavior was repeated many times today in many different situations, one pair pulling a wagon swung their heads and strutted as they pranced past the people.
The Maury County Park hosts the majority of events and there were many vendors for the crafts/flea Market, food, drinks, and anything Mule related. Every day they have scheduled many events, but the main attraction will be the Mule Day Parade on Saturday. This year the Grand Marshal was Mike Wolfe from American Pickers.
Make plans to attend next year and enjoy the weekend in Columbia. Come learn about Mules and enjoy watching their personalities show.