The Goat: She’s only 4 months old, but this kid has all the makings of a star. Race fans have been flocking to Interlachen [FL] to see Lil’ Dale, a 4-month-old goat that sports a No. 3 on her right flank. Meet Lil’ Dale, a goat with one heck of a coat that has race fans flocking to this tiny town west of Palatka. The brown, Nubian goat was born with a distinctive white “3” – the number of racing legend Dale Earnhardt – on her right side. So while poised to become the darling of the NASCAR set, Lil’ Dale’s owners hope this one-of-a-kind kid also can make it in showbiz. Although a Gainesville advertising agency has offered to market Lil’ Dale, Pierson is taking a lighthearted approach to the kid’s potential celebrity status. But this is new territory for Pierson and his wife, Laura, a retired schoolteacher, who have been raising animals for the past 26 years. Ever since Lil’ Dale popped up on a few local newscasts, racing fans and curious onlookers have headed down the narrow road that leads to the Piersons’ farm. “It’s weird,” Pierson said. “I’ve seen people take pictures and get tears in their eyes.” Pierson said there’s no painting, shaving or anything else involved in Lil’ Dale’s signature coat. She was just born that way, he said. The Piersons have no problem with race fans coming to them, just so long as there isn’t a caravan of RVs parked alongside the narrow roadway. See a full story and an image of the Goat at the Daytona Beach News Journal.(note: do not email me the image, it’ll be discarded) and a AP story at ABC News.(7-3-2002)
