Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hoo-Hoo gives $55,000 grant for auditorium

Hoo Hoo International - an organization with roots in Gurdon and worldwide membership - has donated $55,000 to the Gurdon auditorium project.

Anita Cabe made that announcement during the Gurdon Rotary meeting on Sept. 28.

Cabe, who has spearheaded the effort to raise the money for the auditorium project, said the donation was made during the Hoo Hoo conference, held in Hot Springs. That conference included a tour of the Gurdon Hoo Hoo Museum on Main Street and local facilities, including International Paper.

Cabe said the group presented a check for $1,000 as a down payment on the total amount. She said that gives the project a real boost, though the final goal hasnt yet been reached.

The Hoo Hoo was founded more than a century ago when a group of lumbermen and newspaper people were stranded by a storm in Gurdon. That chance meeting included an evening of talk, with conversation eventually coming around to the need for an organization to promote the timber industry, and the Hoo Hoo was born.

Today, the Hoo Hoo International provides information, promotes programs and grants scholarships, all with an eye toward positive information about the timber industry and related fields. With worldwide membership and a decidedly fun organizational structure, the Hoo Hoo has gained notoriety that was likely the goal of those original organizers.

For example, the president of the Hoo Hoo is designated Snark of the Universe. When a new leader takes over, the current Snark is not merely put out of office, but is embalmed in an elaborate ceremony. According to Gurdon Hoo Hoo secretary Beth Thomas, this years embalming called for the Snark to be taken down Central Avenue in Hot Springs - in a horse-drawn hearse.

Theres little doubt that the Hoo Hoo has had an impact on Gurdon. The city once boasted the Hoo Hoo Theater on First Street and the black cat (a symbol of the Hoo Hoo) has long been an accepted part of local emblems, including holding a place on the header of the Gurdon Times.