
THING 34 - Show off your Homer
National Show Racing Pigeon Association 79th annual show
I'll be honest; I thought this was a joke when I first read about it online. Having worked in the city (New York - obviously) for years, there are few animals in my life farther down the food chain than pigeons. Now, who would ever want to actually keep one, let alone show it off? I know I'm being very judgmental here, but seriously? People show pigeons? Are we talking about the same annoying bird that dropped a "present" on my suit (true story) a couple years ago while I was running to a meeting? People (not just city crazies) show these birds off?
After laughing at the whole scenario a couple times, I decided to do some research. It appears that this is a real event and a real hobby/sport/whatever. Many people take this seriously and appear to spend a fair bit of time and resources in showing off their prized possessions. Now I'm sure that lots of of you out there think my hobbies are insane, so I decided to attack this with an open mind. There are tons of pigeon associations across the country and events like this happening all the time. How is this any different than many other animal events?
I sincerely apologize to all of the Homer (aka. Homing Pigeon) lovers out there for anything I have said. It appears that your hobby is no different than showing off dogs, for example. And although Best in Show was one of my favorite movies ever, A LOT of people watch and approve of the Westminster Dog show. I wish you all the best and have a wonderful show today.
http://www.showracinghomers.com/national_show_racing_pigeon_association.htm