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Donkey race is sister city’s idea of fall fun By Shirley Lawyer-Hellman for the Mail Tribune Nov 27, 2022 12:15 AM A A I think every citizen of the greater Medford area would agree our region needs an economic shot in the arm, as well as an infusion of civic pride in the wake of the pandemic era. Wise leaders could look no further than our beautiful sister city Alba, Italy, for inspiration and launch a fall “palio,” otherwise known as a Grand Prix a la donkey. I had the opportunity to visit Alba this fall and discovered, on the first Sunday in October, each of Alba’s nine boroughs, or “borgi,” sponsor a donkey and rider for a raucous — as well as hilarious — donkey-cajoling race. Downtown streets are cordoned off with hay bales and covered in a thick layer of dirt to cushion the inevitable fall of a few poor riders from their mounts. Bleachers for spectators are erected along the route to allow them to cheer on their neighborhood favorites. Scores of community members from each borgo dress in richly adorned medieval costumes and participate as skilled flag throwers, horn blowers and drummers, dancing maidens and armored warriors, fairies and forest creatures, religious figures and grim reapers, peasants and the noble class in a pre-race parade of well-choreographed pageantry that pumps up the expectant crowds. During three heats, donkeys and their riders — all festooned in their borgo colors — attempt to navigate the route to cheers and jeers from the audience. The spectacle of people in colorful tights attempting to ride donkeys bareback through city streets is as funny as it sounds. Our guide Lisa warned us: “Donkeys do what they want. They can’t be forced to do anything!” A few of the strong-willed donkeys proved Lisa correct as they dumped their riders and completed the race solo, stopped for a midrace break or chose to amble through the course in reverse. The champion donkey and its neighborhood pridefully capture the palio, or colorful banner, until they race again next year. Historically, Alba and the nearby town of Asti have endured a centuries-long competitive friction, which culminated in the 1932 ban of Alba riders from Asti’s horse palio. Apparently, Alba riders had the nerve to consistently win the prize banner of the Asti palio and were given the boot. In response, Alba chose to mount their own palio utilizing the Equus asinus to poke fun at their rivals. The palio launches the Alba White Truffle Fair each fall with a month of food festivities. Alba is home to world-famous chocolatier Ferrero, maker of goodies such as Nutella and Kinder products. Medford and Alba have been sister cities since 1960. Our towns share cultural and student exchanges, as well as pen pal programs for elementary students. A Medford donkey palio (in Alba Park?) could honor our sister city relationship, financially support the producers of our region’s bountiful fall harvest, create a silly bit of community fun and provide a much-needed biennial distraction from election year exhaustion. Shirley Lawyer-Hellman lives in Medford.