By: Jamie Lee Cortese

Horror hosts can truly pop up anywhere.  A fan of horror hosts would probably expect to see them on the guest list for a convention, would not be too shocked to see them appearing at a haunted house or other horror-themed attraction, and would only be mildly surprised to see one in another’s show.

Last year, I must admit that I was very surprised when I found out that Svengoolie would be appearing at a western-themed event:  The Little Boots Rodeo in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

Upon Sven’s arrival that day, he and the mayor of Elk Grove Village faced off in a mechanical bull-riding contest.  Some rooted for Sven, some for the mayor, but all were definitely having fun!  The mayor ended up falling off of his bucking bronco, and for a moment it looked like Svengoolie was the winner; then, however, some good-natured “protests” began, with the mayor pointing out that Sven had held onto the bull with both hands, instead of just one, but the validity of Mr. Goolie’s extra “edge” being questioned by the fact that he was holding a rubber chicken in that hand.  The eventual “final call” was hard to discern (I remember someone calling it a tie), but according to Mr. Goolie himself, the mayor apparently won.

The Windy City Goolie faces off against the Midwest Mayor!

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