"The Rabbit Feed" a photo of a 1948 get together at the end of the rabbit hunting season in Bar Harbor.

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"The Rabbit Feed" a photo of a 1948 get together at the end of the rabbit hunting season in Bar Harbor.

The "Rabbit Feed" was an annual event put on by Bill Horner's maternal grandfather, Asa Hodgkins, at the conclusion of the hunting season. It was a great event, with stewed rabbit, grandmother Hodgkins's dumplings, and more than an occasional nip from the bottle.

Asa is seated second from the right. Most of the men in the photo were his rabbit hunting buddies. For the three beagles, this was the only time they were allowed in the house by Asa's wife. At the time, Horner was a 7-year-old protege hunter (dark-eyed boy at table height on the left) and many of the men around the table were his heroes. They reflected an interesting mix, typical of the time. Many worked as caretakers for the summer estates, one was the editor of the Bar Harbor Times, and there were the village optometrist, a barber, and a policeman. Most interestingly, perhaps, is the tallest man in the photo, Clarence Cook Little, whose Jackson Lab had burned during the previous October's Fire of 1947. He lived across the street from the Horner's and shot an occasional squirrel on his property, but never-to their knowledge-went rabbit hunting.

See the additional images for the photo with people and dogs numbered and the list of names (when known) by number. If you recognize any of the other participants, please contact Bar Harbor Historical Society, referencing Digital Archive Item BHHS 74.

The attached audio recording is read by Bill Horner.

1948