(Marionville, MO)--If you see five men walking by the side of the road pulling a little cart you can't help but wonder.
They're walking cross country trying to break the Chicago Cubs' "Curse of the Goat" and their pal, Wrigley the pygmy goat is joining them along the way.
KOLR10's Laurie Patton caught up with these guys and their goat on Highway 60 and she's here to tell us about the real motivation behind their miles long trek:
5 guys and a goat walk in to Springfield. It may sound like a punchline, but these men and their little friend are hiking from Mesa, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois.
We caught up with them on Highway 60 near Marionville as they were headed toward Springfield.
Their mission is to break an old curse while walking for a cause.
"We're just walking Wrigley here to Wrigley field."
Breaking a curse isn't for the faint of heart
But, frankly, neither is being a Cubs fan
"We are trying to crack the curse of the Billy Goat for the Chicago Cubs," says Kyle Townsend. "They haven't won a World Series since 1908."
Not only do you have to witness misfortune like this, you have to wonder if the cause is a curse placed on your team by the famed owner of the Billy Goat Tavern
"It was in 1945, the last time they were there and a man had two tickets for
him and his goat, and he was in and they kicked him out of the game because the goat stunk," Townsend explains. "He wrote a letter saying the Cubs will never win again if you don't respect the goat."
So these guys and their goat, Wrigley, are putting foot and hoof to pavement on their trek from Mesa, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois hoping luck will be on their side
"Hopefully to break the curse of the goat"
They've already put 1,400 miles behind them
Kyle, Phil, Matt, PJ and Blake are always on foot.
Wrigley walks a few miles a day, but spends a lot of time in his chariot.
While breaking the curse of the goat is a goal, it's not the only one. These young men are raising money for the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center.
Both Phil Aldrich and Matt Gregory have had family members affected by cancer. Matt lost his mother when she was 43.
"They helped his Mom live an extra 20 years," Aldrich says.
So the attention Wrigley gets along the way helps the cause
"Random people pull over, curious to know what we're doing pushing a cart," says Aldrich.
Some give them cash on the spot for their cause Aldrich says.
"Handout donations, business cards have people go on the website make donations. (We) get to tell them what we're actually doing other than just walking across the country with a billy goat."
Aldrich says while people may be blown away seeing five guys and a goat walking on the side of the road these guys are more impressed by the people they've met along the way. "It's just amazing to see the generosity of people"
In terms of breaking the curse, they may need a bigger goat
These young men have already walked 1,400 miles and they will be on the road again today. You can follow them on their CracktheCurse.com website, blog and Facebook page.
So far they have raised about $7,000 and they are still walking.
They're walking cross country trying to break the Chicago Cubs' "Curse of the Goat" and their pal, Wrigley the pygmy goat is joining them along the way.
KOLR10's Laurie Patton caught up with these guys and their goat on Highway 60 and she's here to tell us about the real motivation behind their miles long trek:
5 guys and a goat walk in to Springfield. It may sound like a punchline, but these men and their little friend are hiking from Mesa, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois.
We caught up with them on Highway 60 near Marionville as they were headed toward Springfield.
Their mission is to break an old curse while walking for a cause.
"We're just walking Wrigley here to Wrigley field."
Breaking a curse isn't for the faint of heart
But, frankly, neither is being a Cubs fan
"We are trying to crack the curse of the Billy Goat for the Chicago Cubs," says Kyle Townsend. "They haven't won a World Series since 1908."
Not only do you have to witness misfortune like this, you have to wonder if the cause is a curse placed on your team by the famed owner of the Billy Goat Tavern
"It was in 1945, the last time they were there and a man had two tickets for
him and his goat, and he was in and they kicked him out of the game because the goat stunk," Townsend explains. "He wrote a letter saying the Cubs will never win again if you don't respect the goat."So these guys and their goat, Wrigley, are putting foot and hoof to pavement on their trek from Mesa, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois hoping luck will be on their side
"Hopefully to break the curse of the goat"
They've already put 1,400 miles behind them
Kyle, Phil, Matt, PJ and Blake are always on foot.
Wrigley walks a few miles a day, but spends a lot of time in his chariot.
While breaking the curse of the goat is a goal, it's not the only one. These young men are raising money for the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center.
Both Phil Aldrich and Matt Gregory have had family members affected by cancer. Matt lost his mother when she was 43.
"They helped his Mom live an extra 20 years," Aldrich says.
So the attention Wrigley gets along the way helps the cause
"Random people pull over, curious to know what we're doing pushing a cart," says Aldrich.
Some give them cash on the spot for their cause Aldrich says.
"Handout donations, business cards have people go on the website make donations. (We) get to tell them what we're actually doing other than just walking across the country with a billy goat."
Aldrich says while people may be blown away seeing five guys and a goat walking on the side of the road these guys are more impressed by the people they've met along the way. "It's just amazing to see the generosity of people"
In terms of breaking the curse, they may need a bigger goat
These young men have already walked 1,400 miles and they will be on the road again today. You can follow them on their CracktheCurse.com website, blog and Facebook page.
So far they have raised about $7,000 and they are still walking.
