Fun at the Celtic Festival?

Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at 6:52 am

I had to laugh when I saw this article, as I had only just finished writing about the “sport” of ferret legging on my site a couple of days ago.

At annual Highland event, contestants put animal down their pants, then wait, pray

BY BILL WASSON

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Oct 29, 2006

If you awoke this morning with an itch to stuff a ferret down your pants, you’re in luck.You can scratch that itch today at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. at the Richmond Highland Games & Celtic Festival at Richmond Raceway Complex.
The annual two-day festival brings the ancient sport of ferret legging to Richmond.”

In the years we’ve done this, no one’s been bitten. Maybe a few scratches,” said Marlene Blackburn of the Richmond Ferret Rescue League. Blackburn, a Chesterfield County resident, is the festival’s supervisor of ferrets.

She suspects ferret legging originated in a pub, where patrons bet on who could keep a ferret in his pants the longest.

At yesterday’s morning ferret-legging round, a kilted Kevin Robertson of Sterling called for four volunteers and laid down the ground rules: Contestants did not have to be sober, but the ferrets did.

Four men volunteered. Then one woman stepped forward, requesting a ferret down her blouse. But really, it’s a guy thing done “regimental” — Celtic for no underwear.

The contestants were required to keep the ferrets — small domesticated European polecats easily trained for rabbit hunting in their pants for three minutes. The four men changed into sweatpants provided for them. While changing, they were shielded by towels and blankets.

“Where else can you drop you drawers in public without getting arrested?” asked Jeffrey Madden of Virginia Beach. This was his second ferret legging. Cheering Madden on was his wife, Jean.

“This excites her,” he said.When Madden and the other three men were properly clad, the ferrets — with names like Killer and Slicer — were dropped down the front of their sweats.

The excited crowd cheered and clapped. The ferrets, on the other hand, seemed more interested in curling up around the contestants’ ankles and taking a nap.

“They’re really exhausted,” Blackburn said of the creatures.