A man and his goats set up camp in Arlington last night, nearing the end of a long and somewhat peculiar sojourn across much of the country.
By foot and by hoof, a man known as Jacob Holiday and his livestock have been traveling this way for a long time. Holiday told Midwest Media in November that they’d been on the road for years, traveling from Minnesota to spread a message of peace and love.
He said he intends to sing the John Lennon song “Imagine” on the steps of the Capitol building.
“The destination, I know, is Washington, D.C. The path, or the pace, I know not,” he told that news organization.
Holiday was spotted walking through the City of Fairfax with a heavily loaded wagon earlier this month, according to Annandale Today.
Holiday’s arrival in Arlington appears to have gotten the goat of some local residents, several of whom contacted ARLnow and animal control after noticing him camping out with his cloven companions in the area of Arlington Blvd and S. Carlin Springs Road last night (Wednesday).
Jennifer Toussaint, chief of animal control in Arlington County, told ARLnow that she’d been notified of Holiday’s arrival in advance.
“This individual … [was] extensively followed up on by a neighboring animal control agency, who verified the health and well-being of the goats,” Toussaint said. “We’ve been responsive, and members of Arlington County’s other responding agencies have spoken with this individual to make sure they’re being mindful about, you know, heat safety and things of that nature.”
In November, Midwest Media reported that Holiday had only one goat, but that he was seeking to buy a nanny goat. Holiday had three goats as of this morning, all hitched up near his campsite.
While he told Midwest Media that he was from Minnesota, a Nebraska news site reported that he had traveled from California, while Toussaint said she’d heard he came from Washington State.
Toussaint said she expects Holiday will arrive in D.C. before long. If anyone has concerns about the well-being of his goats, she encouraged them to contact animal control.
Holiday and his goats arrived in Arlington just a few months after another, more widely publicized group of travelers passed through on another cross-country journey.
A group of Buddhist monks on a 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” attracted large crowds in Arlington in early February. They were also on their way to D.C., with the mission of asking Congress to recognize Buddha’s day of birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday.
