ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

NY brewery builds Christmas tree out of 300 beer kegs

ROCHESTER, N.Y.

A western New York brewery has constructed a Christmas tree out of hundreds of beer kegs. All that’s missing is the beer.

The Genesee Brewing Co. built the 23-foot-high Christmas tree out of 300 stainless-steel kegs outsides its Brew House in downtown Rochester.

The keg tree is trimmed with 600 feet of green lights and topped by a rotating Genesee sign. More than 20 of Genesee’s elves — also known as employees — got to work designing and building the keg tree.

Alas, beer lovers, the kegs are empty. But the company says when the tree is dismantled, the kegs will return to the production line and be refilled.

The official public lighting ceremony is set for Thursday.

Squirrels munch on holiday lights at Cincinnati Zoo

CINCINNATI

The Cincinnati Zoo’s holiday light display is under attack by roaming resident squirrels who seem to like chewing the wires, and animal-loving officials have been torn about how to stop them.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the zoo even tried spiking some plastic-covered light strands with hot sauce this year, but it wasn’t enough to deter the rodents. The cords appear to be a popular target for the creatures, who also munch on flower bulbs, the elephants’ peanuts and discarded bits of visitors’ snacks.

Their gnawing is a problem as the zoo tries to maintain the display of 2 million lights that typically draws at least 200,000 visitors during the holidays. Each morning, the groundskeepers have been working to identify and replace cords that have been chewed.

Owner reclaims sheep found wearing a holiday sweater

OMAHA, Neb.

A sheep wearing a festive red-and-green sweater who was found wandering around Omaha has been reunited with his owner.

Owner Margaret Vazquez tells KMTV she initially panicked when the sheep named Gage went missing. She says the sheep “follows me everywhere.”

Nebraska Humane Society spokeswoman Pam Wiese says the sheep was reclaimed recently. The Humane Society was caring for Gage after he was found in an Omaha neighborhood.

Gage shares a shed with two chickens, when he isn’t in his owner’s house. Gage is used to walking on a leash and doesn’t seem to mind that the holiday apparel he donned appears to have been designed for a dog.

Vazquez says it was the first time Gage escaped and will spend more time indoors.

Associated Press