ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — A warm spring day provided the perfect setting for Cocoa, a bottle-fed two-month-old calf to do his … stuff in a gridded pasture Saturday afternoon.

It was all part of the fun of “Cow Patty Bingo,” a main attraction of the second annual carnival to benefit the Robertsdale High “Golden Bear” band held at the high school. The band has been invited to perform in the 75th McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago, and it is estimated that it will cost about $500 per student for each of the 160 member band and color guard to get to the nationally-televised parade.

“He did just fine, said Tim Wilson, Band Booster president, speaking of Cocoa’s “performance ” as the calf, wearing a red collar and purple lead, skittered away from strangers.

Cocoa, owned by Kay and Toby Arnette of Robertsdale, “didn’t waste any time,” according to Wilson, once loosed into the gridded, fenced off “pasture.” Alyson McDonald of Bay Minette was the winner of the bingo, netting about $312. She was not present at the fair, but Wilson says her check is coming.

“I think we’ve done all right,” said Wilson.

There was more to see and enjoy at the carnival than bovine antics, however. An enthusiastic crowd made the “Cow Patty Idol” a treat for the funny bone, if not the ears. Todd’s Karaoke provided several hundred songs for contestants to choose from after they made a $3 donation to the RHS Band. 

Taylor Campbell, (assistant band director) Robin Isherwood and Haley Stinson took the first place prize of a small stuffed cow and certificate for their enthusiastic “performance” of Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer.”

The Color Guard took first place in the cake decorating contest. They couldn’t resist having a little fun with their band director, Neil Sasser, in the icing. Their cake proclaimed, "If we can teach Sasser to twirl, we can teach anyone."

At the “dunk tank,” the action was hot and heavy. Ten-year-old Erica Smith of Loxley seemed to know the right words and had the attitude to get the crowd lined up to try to dunk her into a container of cool water. Of course, some of the “dunkers” discovered that walking up and hitting the booth’s button would send Smith into the drink more reliably than tossing balls, so the Loxley Elementary student spent a fair amount of time sliding off her perch and “swimming.”

“This is great,” enthused Smith. “Hey you guys, you missed that time.”

“A lot of parents are coming together to send these kids to Chicago,” said Dee McClantoc as she presided over containers of fish and cheese fries. Her grandson, John Harms, plays base clarinet and tuba in the band. “We want to make sure all the students make it to the parade in Chicago.”

Smith should know.

“I was in Foley’s first flag corps. It was a lot of fun. Hard work, but a lot of fun,” said McClantoc.