By Samantha Kupiainen
The Carmel Clay Historical Society will once again commemorate the Great Squirrel Stampede of 1822 with a dog trot and family fun run Sept. 21 at Coxhall Gardens, 11677 Towne Rd. in Carmel. During the original stampede, a massive number of squirrels traveled across the Midwest and destroyed crops, hitting Hamilton County especially hard.
“Basically, the squirrels stampeded across all of the crops because they were building so much new stuff in the area and the squirrels had nowhere to go,” said Providence Sommers, CCHS event manager. “They used to live in the woods, and when that was torn down, they had nowhere else to go. So, they stampeded across basically the whole Midwest, but Hamilton County got hit pretty hard with it and it destroyed a ton of crops.”
The third annual Squirrel Stampede fundraiser will include 1K and 3K fun runs, in which families, strollers and friendly dogs are welcome. The event will boast a variety of food offerings and activities for kids, including a “golden acorn hunt.”
“Even though it’s not a great thing to remember, we’re doing a fun nod to it by having this race in honor of the Great Squirrel Stampede,” Sommers said.
Tickets cost $30 per person, $50 for two and $75 per family (up to four entrants). Registration includes a Squirrel Stampede T-shirt, activities and games, and treats. Proceeds will help fund the new Carmel Clay History Museum, which is set to open later this year.
“It’s a completely new building,” Sommers said. “We broke ground on it last year. Right now we don’t have any sort of museum at all. It will have permanent exhibits, rotating exhibits, and it’s right on the Monon Trail, so it’s a great way for families to come together and learn about history, and also the present. We’re making history all the time, so we want to make sure that it’s a very welcoming space for our community.”
Learn more and register at carmelclayhistory.org/event/the-great-squirrel-stampede-family-fun-run-and-dog-trot.
