Is it really illegal to frown at cows in Bladworth, Sask.?
Mayor Bessey says people occasionally ask about supposed don't-frown-at-cows rule
Is it udder nonsense, or is it truly illegal to frown at a cow in Bladworth, Sask.?
People who use social media seem to think that's the law of the land in the village of 70, which is located about 100 kilometres south of Saskatoon.
"It is illegal to frown at cows in Bladworth, Saskatchewan" is easy to find on Twitter, while Googling the phrase results in 18,900 hits.
When CBC News asked Bladworth Mayor Ron Bessey about the reputed cow-frown ban, he chuckled and said people often make inquiries.
"Frowning at a cow on Main Street on Sunday?" Bessey asked. "We've heard it quite often. The way the story goes, it's supposed to be a bylaw."
Although the phrase has circulated on Twitter in recent years, Bessey says people have asked locals about it for more than a decade.
Bessey said he's not sure if it's an urban legend or an obsolete law that might still be on the books.
"It's unconfirmed," he said.
Meanwhile, the anti-cow frowning legend may have the unexpected benefit of attracting a few tourists to the village on Highway 11.
"Going there and doing it!! I'm gonna frown at a cow," Twitter user @_smileysteph said in a recent tweet.