(As reported in Issue 2006-10-30 of The New Yorker)
Last fall, in conjunction with the publication of their book “Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger,” the authors Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson organized a taxidermy contest at Pete’s Candy Store, a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They’ve decided to do it again this year in a new location, with a few changes. Mittelbach and Crewdson will be hosting, and the judging of all things stuffed and preserved will be done by Dorian Devins, a radio producer with an interest in science, and Rob Marbury, of the Minneapolis Association of Rogue Taxidermy. Animals on display at last year’s event included a mongoose (entwined with a cobra), an armadillo (being used as a handbag), and a crow (dubbed Poe). The contest drew people from all over the metropolitan region, from employees of the Parks Department and the American Museum of Natural History to professional taxidermists and “various other types,” according to Devins, who participated. “I don’t know how they found out about it, but they all just showed up with their things.” (Union Hall, 702 Union St., Park Slope, Brooklyn. No tickets necessary. Oct. 28 at 8, with a master class and game tasting with a vegan option led by the M.A.R.T.’s Marbury, starting at 5. To sign up for the class, e-mail info@roguetaxidermy.com.)
