On June 29th, 2024, the town of Pleasantville, Kansas experienced what locals still refer to as "The Night of the Dancing Chickens."

Folks were settling in for the evening when reports started coming in of disturbance at the Johnson family farm. Seems the chickens had gone plumb crazy. Eyewitnesses said they were flapping their wings, crowing a tune, and strutting in organized lines around the coop.

Old Man Johnson rushed out with a lantern and was nearly bowled over by a parade of poultry parading in perfect time. "They were dancing alright," he said afterward, "like they was in some Broadway show." Neighbors arrived and watched, astonished, as the chickens crisscrossed the yard, never missing a step.

News spread fast and soon half the town was crowded around the fence, hanging on every feather. The local doctor was called out but even he was flummoxed. "Animals acting up is one thing," he said. "But dancing? I'm at a loss to explain it." After an hour of frenetic fowl frolics, the chickens tired out and quieted down. Next morning they seemed none the worse for wear.

To this day, no one can say for sure what got into those chickens that night or how they learned to dance a jig with such precision. But you can bet the folks of Pleasantville won't soon forget their feathered friends' foray into the performing arts that hot June night in 2024. The Night of the Dancing Chickens lives on in local lore.