The Hatfield Moose Family

Summertime Mooses loufarrell (Atlas Obscura User)

For more than a decade, at least one plywood moose has stood at the corner of East Orvilla Road and Maple Avenue in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, in the yard of Lou and Cathy Farrell’s farmhouse.

In the early 2000s, the Farrell’s vacationed in Nova Scotia and observed numerous moose during hikes in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. When they returned, they decided to make a life-sized plywood moose, which grazed in their backyard for years. Around 2008, after the children teased their parents about their lame Christmas light display, the birthday moose was moved to the front yard and wrapped with about 100 strings of lights, illuminating their corner of Orvilla Road. At the end of the holiday season, the moose returned to the backyard, but community members sent cards and letters asking what happened to the moose and demanding her return to the street. Since then, the moose has become an important landmark and a valued member of the Hatfield community.

A little girl wrote that “she liked to call the Moose Nacho” and hoped that we would too. Work orders for refrigerator repair or oil delivery do not come with a proper address, only “Moose House.” Directions like “turn left at the Moose” are common among Hatfielders. There have been wedding parties that have stopped by for Moose pictures. The Mooses sometimes change hats seasonally.

The Hatfield Moose Family had been embraced by the leaders of the township and was invited to help open the Aquatic Center for the 2022 season. Many selfies were taken, even a group shot with the commissioners. The Mooses make regular appearances on social media, always prompting eager discussion.

For some reason, Nacho prefers that the plural of moose be “Mooses,” ignoring standard form and capitalization. Why argue over the little things? As the Farrells added grandchildren to their family, Nacho’s family also grew. First Salsa was born, then baby Churro came to form the current Hatfield Moose Family. It seems likely that there will be other Mooses added to this happy group.