Since the 1930s, Douglas has been the proud home of the mythical jackalope, an antler-bearing rabbit that is honored every February 30 with its own day for hunting.

Funny how no one alive has seen the 30th day of the second month of the year, though they'll come mighty close in 2008.

Nevertheless, the Converse County seat has taken quite a liking to the fact that the mythical creature is a highly recognizable - and marketable - symbol of good-natured whimsy throughout this state.

Not to be outdone, Douglas' neighbor to the northwest is planning a marketing blitz of its own, paying homage to the ubiquitous - and some say quite pesky - prairie dog.

The Glenrock Independent reported in its Dec. 20 edition of an effort by local businessman Dan Schriener to market the prairie dog as Glenrock's own town mascot.

Schriener told the paper that 19 such statues have been ordered to keep sentry in front of local businesses. A "coming out" party of sorts is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2008, which, according to the paper, will include an original production by the P. Doggie Players, a P. Doggie decorating contest and the introduction of the prairie dog and his "legend."

We've got to wonder if this will be a chance for Lander Lil to meet her soul mate.

Lander Valley band plays on big stages

This week, as Fremont County residents have overdosed on eggnog, turkey and fretted about their upcoming New Year's resolutions, the Lander Valley High School Marching Band has been zigzagging their way across Southern California for the trip of a lifetime.

They boarded buses on Christmas evening, bund for San Diego, where they marched in the Holiday Bowl parade, and plan to march again in Disneyland on New Year's Day, the Lander Journal reported this past week.

A total of 82 students planned to make the trip, the paper reported.

Colorguard instructor Jill Surrell said she was excited to take the students some place many of them have never been.

"I have a huge philosophy to travel with kids because of the experience they get from it," she told the paper. "It gets kids excited about something and something to look forward to."

The band has grown from 25 members in 2004 to a figure more than three times that amount, the paper reported.

It's taken the band three years to raise the necessary funds to go on this trip, the paper reported.

Tribute to a commercial-free holiday

For years, the woman people in Dubois know as "Grandma" has worked to make the holidays brighter for a few people.

Lillie Lichtenwalner has for years knitted 10 pairs of mittens for people each Christmas, the Dubois Frontier reported in its Dec. 27 edition.

Each pair of mittens takes eight hours to complete, the paper reported. This year, students at Dubois Elementary School entered a contest to win pairs of Ms. Lichtenwalner's prized mittens. They penned a treatise, "Why Handmade Gifts are Special."

One of the winners, sixth-grader Devin Conley, wrote that "handmade gifts are made from the heart because someone loves the other."

For her part, Lichtenwalner said this was the first time she got to meet the winner of a pair of her prized mittens.

Gillette man arrested after "Speed"-like plot unravels

Police in Gillette arrested a 50-year-old man on Christmas Eve for speeding in Gillette.

Problem was, the (Gillette) News-Record reported on Dec. 26, neither plot mastermind Dennis Hopper, dashing Keanu Reeves or fetching Sandra Bullock was involved.

The man allegedly told officers he refused to slow down for them because he feared the town would be blown up if he stopped his car, Gillette Police Cpl. Jason Marcus told the paper.

The man ran a stoplight in town before proceeding to a truck stop, the paper reported. When they pulled him over, they found a repeating message on a public-radio station, the paper reported.

The man also told officers he'd had seven beers that day, and was subsequently arrested on a variety of suspected charges.

Getting 'Up With People'

In the 1970s, they were a staple on Super Bowl halftime shows, spreading a message of goodwill to millions.

Today, the group Up With People is still spreading a wholesome message, and is doing so with the help of Douglas resident Scott Erickson.

The Douglas Budget reported in its Dec. 26 edition on the exploits of Erickson, who has been to Thailand, Sweden, Germany and parts of the United States, volunteering and fundraising and helping those less fortunate.

Erickson, a sophomore at the University of South Dakota, joined the group when he noticed an information booth on campus last year.

Erickson even performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

"Music has been a big part of my life." Erickson told the paper. "I was a backup singer for most of (my time during) the show. But I did have to learn the dances.

Visiting Phuket, Thailand, three years after it was hit by a tsunami, was difficult, though Erickson said he wouldn't change anything about his experience.

"I would have to say it's the best decision I've ever made," he told the paper.

Got an item or tip for this column? Contact night editor David Mirhadi at (307) 266-0616 or david.mirhadi@trib.com