Thursday, January 31st, found us in the Foothills of Yuma, Arizona, with another of my childhood friends. When I called Mary to see if they would be home for us to stop and visit during our time in the Southwest, she said to come and bring lawn chairs! Then she said, “ We are going out to howl at the moon, and we’d love for you to come along!” Huh??? We are usually game for most anything once, so I asked her for more information. She said it was fun, we would like it, and to bring a cooler along with some snacks and cool drinks. It would literally be held on the edge of town, out in the desert, from about 3 P.M. until about 8:00. Our curiosity was peaked, and we prepared to meet them at their home, which is in reality about a mile from the event itself!
It was a pretty warm day, even for January in Yuma. Our car said 90 degrees as we traveled east from our daughter’s home, toward the Foothills of the Gila Mountains, about thirteen miles out. A beautiful and sunny afternoon, we enjoyed the desert scenery. We turned off Interstate 8, onto the south frontage road, and as we came close to the edge of town next to the open desert, we saw the sign. It was a big, black wooden sign, with a huge yellow moon painted on it, next to a large coyote, which simply stated , “Howling at the Moon”, and included a large arrow pointing the way. We noticed a few RV’s and lawn chairs, with a music stage set up.
We continued on to our friends’ home, and after visiting a while, we took our chairs and coolers and headed back out to the edge of town. We couldn’t believe the change in just a couple hours! The site now held hundreds of people and cars, with a long line still streaming in. Many little groups of chairs and small tents were set up for shade and visiting and relaxing in the sun-filled evening. It was literally a chair to chair event, scattered every which way while mostly senior citizens laughed and talked while listening to the music. Or danced on the smoothed out desert “floor” in front of the singers.
Since our “snowbird” friends are originally from Washington state, we met up with several of their friends under and around a Seattle Seahawks shade tent. They were all so welcoming, meeting and greeting us with smiles, and later generously sharing some of their tasty snacks while we did the same. Several of the gals were sporting black “howling at the moon” T-shirts which I loved. So off we went toward the tables and vending trucks set up near the music. After donning my new shirt, and purchasing some delicious ice cream cones to cool us off, we settled into the chairs, listened to the music, and had so much fun people watching…one of my favorite activities at any large event!
Most of the music was in the “oldies and goodies” group, so we found ourselves singing along quite often. The singer was mostly country and western, but patriotic and gospel popped up throughout. It was a good band, and the music and mood was fun, but not loud and overbearing. We even went up and had few dances on the dusty dance area. As the dust flew up, we laughed and said this must be what it is like to “kick up your heels”!
Did I say large event?? Both Dick and Mary said they had never seen this many people there, and later we were told there were between three and four THOUSAND howlers gathered! More than ever had attended before! It seems it was started maybe a decade or so before, with just a circle of lawn chairs around the singers. According to a “Howling” blog, this celebration has all the criteria of a good time:
1. Select a name/theme-HOWLING AT THE MOON
2. Date is chosen-first night of the full moon. (The event is held monthly from October through April.) ** The next two events are March 1st and March 31st.
3. Location, location, location-big open area in the desert on the edge of town.
4. Music-the best! Somehow they lured C&W singer Kelly Hughes into doing it. Great singer!
5. Amenities- state of the art outhouses. Free parking in unpaved, unmarked, uneven desert.
6. Cost-“free will” donation to the Yuma kids burn center and an orphanage in Mexico, along with a donation to the musicians.
7. Decorations-paint a sign with the theme name on it-find a howling wolf to hold this sign!
8. Gift shop-Set up a table to sell t-shirts with the logo “Howling at the Moon” on them.
9. Exercise- dancing with a partner or yourself as well as a group in the form of line dancing.
10. Food and drink-bring your own. Don’t forget a chair!
11. Group singing- almost all the songs played were well known so a lot of people were singing. Kelly thanked all the service people/military people and those currently serving. He then led us into a couple patriotic songs, and everyone stood, with caps in their hands, hands over their hearts, and great cheering when it was finished.
12. Grand finale- When the light of day fades, and the moon begins to slowly rise above the mountains, people rise out of their chairs, stop dancing, and turn toward the moon. When the total face of the moon is present, the howling begins! It is quite the sight and sound!!
The music plays for another forty-five minutes or so after the moon rises. During this time, people pick up their belongings, say their good-byes, and begin walking to their vehicles. As you would probably think, it takes a little while to clear out that kind of crowd. However, it went smoothly, and everyone seemed quite fine to wait their turn as cars and pick-ups drove away. It proved to be a fun and a little crazy way to have some more “joy in our journey”!
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