Talkeetna, AK -- Can you imagine dumping moose crap out of a hot air balloon, then making a contest out of it? Well, the people of Talkeetna, Alaska, have done more than imagine it, and now their Moose Dropping Festival is celebrating its 32nd year this weekend (Jul. 12-13)

While the origins of the festival are shrouded in mystery -- some say it was a joke, but nobody's taking credit for it -- it traditionally takes place the second weekend in July.

The craftspeople of the small town sell moose excrement jewelry and display artworks, but the main event is the "Moose Dropping Drop" where a hot air balloon drops numbered moose dung onto a large "X" target. Whoever holds the number of the dropping which hits the target wins $1000.

So far the only famous person to attend is local celebrity Bradford Washington, the cartographer who mapped nearby Mt. McKinley, but villagers hold out hope that a big time celebrity may show up someday.

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