Whorehouse Days?

A friend of mine's family lives in Nevada, MO where they have "Bushwacker Days" every year to celebrate Missouri's pro-slavery past. Some people in Gilbert, MN are apparently jealous of town's that celebrate their seedy past and want to get in on the action:

GILBERT, Minn. -- A group of residents is trying to make the most of this Iron Range town's notorious past, but city officials say Gilbert Whorehouse Days is a bad name for a town festival.

A group of angry citizens showed up at a City Council meeting Tuesday to protest the event, which is being planned by some members of Gilbert After Hours Inc. The festival's name refers to a time when Gilbert was known for its bars, gambling, and ``working girls'' during the Prohibition.

"The damage has been done,'' resident Fran Marolt said. ``This is not a family-oriented activity.''

The event doesn't include any of the activities that gave the festival its name, but City Council members still don't approve.

"It would give us a black eye,'' City Council member Dan Berry said.

Organizers say the festival - and its name - are meant to bring back a part of history. The festival is planned for two days in July and includes a car show, antique fair and bank robbery reenactment.

My favorite part is that they have to say that the "event doesn't include any of the activities that gave the festival its name."

If you missed it, the Daily Show did one of their little skits on the Charlie Brown statues in St. Paul this week (watch it here), which is a shame, because I think they picked the wrong story to come to Minnesota for: I couldn't stop picturing Rob Corddy interviewing the whole town about Whorehouse Days.