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Visitors to the saloon will see a lot of pieces of paper hanging from the saloon’s ceiling, and upon a closer look they will notice the paper is actually paper money.
Years ago, nobody really seems to remember when, the tradition of “throwing money away” started. Perhaps this began when Natchez was the center of the Wilcox oil bonanza, which brought a lot of ‘new’ money into the Natchez economy.
Anyway, nowadays it seems that almost every visitor to the saloon wants to ‘throw some money away’…and we have had a few interesting experiences with their throwing skills.
First off, not everyone is proficient at throwing money away. The bartender, or one of the locals, explains how to assemble the currency missile by attaching a thumbtack and additional weight (a quarter) to the projectile. Then detail instructions are given regarding folding the currency, how the underhanded sling needs to be executed, and at what point in the sling the missile needs to be released. We find that it usually takes several tries to be successful. They throw it up and down it comes. Up again and down it comes. But eventually there is success with the projectile sticking to the ceiling, which brings a round of applause and cheers from everyone present.
But until the participant gets the hang of the release technique the missiles tend to go in every direction imaginable. During the launch sequence the locals know to stay on their toes because on more than one occasion we have had to utilize our evasion tactics to avoid an unwelcome piercing. We have seen these money missiles ricochet off pictures and mirrors and we have seen them stick to the back of bar stools and the saloon chairs, occasionally when someone is occupying them.
Also, with the saloon having a lot of ceiling fans, which are always spinning at a hefty speed, we witness the missiles hitting a fan blade that hurls the projectile in a totally unexpected direction, and at twice of its original velocity.
Twice a year, July 4th and New Years Day, the saloon harvests the “thrown away money” and produces a cooking where all in attendance are invited to partake at no cost. |
