Residents of Moravia, N.Y., are gearing up for an annual bathtub contest Saturday that will honor one of America's least known presidents, along with an infamous hoax.
Residents of this town 30 miles south of Syracuse hold Fillmore Days to honor Millard Fillmore, a Cayuga County native who journalist H.L. Mencken falsely reported in 1917 installed the first bathtub in the White House.Mencken, who said he wanted to show how gullible the public was, tried to retract his widely publicized column in 1926, but many people continued to believe the bathtub story.
This year, a decorated bathtub contest will replace tub races because of road construction downtown, said organizer Anne Townsend. The races began in 1972. A trophy of a bathtub will be awarded to the winner.
About 2,000 spectators and at least 20 bathtubs are expected.