The 20th Annual Running of the Bull is Saturday, July 9, in Dewey Beach, Del. This event has grown year after year, and it’s looking like the 20-year milestone is going to bring a big crowd to celebrate.
Founder of Running of the Bull, Michael McDonnell tells us all about the upcoming event.
“We started the thing 20 years ago and two years before that in ’95, we went to Spain,” McDonnell says. “It was great – fun and crazy. When we got back from our trip, we went to a beach house and decided it would be fun to have a party. There were beers involved – I’m not gonna lie.”
McDonnell says they were standing in The Starboard in Dewey Beach, talking about the running of the bulls in Spain. They thought it would be fun to bring that to the beach. They handed out red bandannas and had a guy in a bull costume chase people down the beach.
“There was only about 35 people the first year,” McDonnell says. “We ran down the beach and people stared at us like we were crazy.”
Monty saw that this event was growing and asked if The Starboard could take over and help run the event. Now there are hundreds of people that attend this event each summer.
“There’s one guys that calls every year from out in the west coast,” McDonnell says. “They do a family vacation in Delaware every summer and he calls every year and asks ‘when is the running of the bull?'”
McDonnell says that all the “kids” that ran with them in years past now have kids of their own. So now, they have something the whole family enjoy with a kids running of the bull.
A local school teacher runs family events for the town and she helped organize the kids event. They set up a table with a DJ on the beach so the kids can dance. They also have plenty of other activities for the kids so that they can have a beach party themselves.
McDonnell says the event is “weirdly family oriented” and that their goal each year is to make it fun but also make sure “no one goes to jail.” McDonnell actually met his wife at a Running of the Bull one summer. Now, they bring their kids here.
“My next goal, now that we hit 20, is to work hard for Vice President Joe Biden to be at the 25th Running of the Bill,” McDonnell says. “We’re gonna wait for him to retire first.”
In Search of Mystery Girl from the First Running of the Bull
The girl circled in red is the “mystery girl”
McDonnell tells us the story of the mystery girl who was with them for the first Running of the Bull. They want your help in reaching out to her and finding her.
“The first year we did it, we had a collection of people in the group house. We had a house with about 20 people there as guests. I found everyone who I know was there that weekend, but no one can remember what her name is,” McDonnell says. “We think shes from NY or NJ. She seemed to be on her way to living somewhere because her car was packed, but she was in no rush to get where she was going. She didn’t even know the Running of the Bull was happening.”
If you know the lady pictured, reach out to McDonnell and The Starboard.
20th Annual Running of the Bull
- Saturday, July 9 at 2 pm
- LauraLea and Tripp Fabulous play on stage from noon to 4 pm
- White t-shirts and red bandannas will be sold at the event and some proceeds go to the town of Dewey
