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If you live in theVictoria, British Columbia area you have probably heard of Howard Biship. A fixture on the circle track scene since the late 1970's, Howard, or "Bunny" as he is better known, has been the rabbit mascot of Western Speedway. His special blend of hijinx and chaos has always been received with laughter and smiles by race track visitors both young and old.
The man under the rabbit head is an enigma wrapped in a mystery encased in a bunny suit. Who is Howard? Where did he come from? Where is he going?
Howard refuses to be interviewed about his past. Modest and ill at ease when discussing anything other than stock car racing, Howard simply wants to be left alone. Even his son, demolition derby driver Clyde Biship, was hesitant about talking about his father. "Dad has spent so much of his life around the world of high performance cars that I think he has simply forgotten about the first forty years of his life."
Always a fixture at Timmy's Easter Telethon, Howard is the unofficial bunny for the Veterans who raise money with a dart tournament. Leading the dart players in their victory walk to the McPherson Playhouse for the telethon, Howard goes under the name of "Bernie the Bunny" for the event. The heat in his costume is a constant 35 degrees celcius. Howard has to constantly quench his thirst, but it is a small price to pay to put all those smiling faces on the kids.
His duties at Western Speedway are as varied and detailed as his past. Greeting the many fans as they enter the raceway is one of Howard's favourite jobs. "People are nice" is Howard's comment when asked about his job at the circle track. A large crowd of children is always to be seen around the man in the bunny suit. It's like everyday is Easter when Howard is around. Howard is also in charge of getting the fans going between races. Working with his daughter-in-law Brenda (an ex-exotic dancer), she works out dance routines for Howard as he moon-walks, jive dances and bunny hops across the trophy stage. His hijinx have got him into some trouble in the past. His bunny suit shows the scars of past incidents that include:
1973. Howard is knocked unconscious while sneaking up on a race track trophy girl. He grabbed the girl around the waist in an attempt to start a conga line. She turned and throttled him with the Grand National B-Class Gasser Trophy (approximate weight of 5 pounds) sending Howard head over heels onto the track below. The bunny costume headpiece has to be cut from his head.
1974. Howard is voted best track mascot in the lower island region. At a celebration dinner at The Princess Mary restaurant his rabbit suit is set on fire by a waiter carrying two lighted shiskabobs. Howard suffers two lacerations and burnt fur.
1975. Between shows at the raceway, Howard takes a quick smoke break and accidentally sets himself on fire. The inconvenience of taking the head of the bunny costume off was too much for Howard, who pushed the lit cigarette through his costume's mouth hole. It fell and set his chest hair on fire. The fire spread and burned his head, chest, neck and face. Running out into the track, he was greeted by the people in the stands who thought that the smoking bunny is part of the show. Luckily Howard was not badly hurt.
1975. While doing a victory lap in a modified go-cart, Howard loses control and crashes into a stack of tires when his oversized fur covered foot gets lodged between the side of the cart and the gas pedal. Howard receives stitches to his arm and tail.
1976. Dressed in his bunny suit, Howard's act now includes a dance routine that includes two girls from the concession doing The Hustle on either side of him. During a musical salute to America's 200th birthday, Howard falls head first into one of the dancers wnad gets his ear caught on her dress. He gets up and the ensnared ear manages to tear off her top. She leaves the stage screaming. Howard is given a verbal warning form the Langford RCMP and told to change the act.
1977. McDonald bakery becomes a sponsor of Saturday night drag racing. During the half-time show they bring out their "Bread Cannon" - a five foot long tube that launces loaves of bread into the audience. Howard is loading the cannon when tradegy strikes. Howard's arm becomes lodged in the cannon. The unknowing bun boy is unable to hear Howard's muffled screams. The cannon is fired and Howard damages his right paw. He spends the rest of the drag racing season at home with his hand in a cast. Howard finds release in the bottle.
1977. Howard is wearing the rabbit suit around the house and yard. He writes the Langford City Council about letting him lead the parade for "Langford Daze" in June. After much debate, and a council meeting that goes deep into the evening, Howard is allowed to lead the parade.
1977. September Grand nationals are held at Western Speedway. Greg Malone is racing his supercharged '67 Mustang around the track when tragedy strikes. Howard, drunk on jet car fumes, stumbles onto the track. He collides with Greg Malone's Mustang and is hospitalized with a broken knee and fractured ribs. Malone's car is sent crashing into the pit crew area where 5 members of Rockin' Joe Mikizianonski's pit crew are injured. Howard spends the next three weeks in Royal Jubilee Hospital where he insists upon wearing the full rabbit outfit while in intensive care.
1978. Howard's son moves in with Ava Gina (a local exotic dancer). While helping with the move, Howard's rabbit costume causes him to stumble. His foot is broken when a fully loaded beer fridge falls off a dolly and lands on his paw. Howard hops around on one foot and jumps out into the yard. His screams of pain call the attention of the neighbourhood children who recognize Howard. The children mob Howard and drag him to the ground. Howard pleads with the children to get off, but the overexcited youngsters, giddy with seeing "The Bunny From The Speedway" are uncontrollable. Clyde remember this event: "The children were crazy. I mean nutty crazy. Heck, every time I would pull one of the youngin's off, three more would jump on. It wuz plumb crazy man." The police were called and two patrol men freed Howard from the fanatical children. Howard was taken by police cruiser to the hospital where he was treated for his foot injuries. The psychological wounds of being mauled by the children would take longer to heal.
1979. Howard helps to promote Camp Miniwalka, a summer camp for single parent troubled youth. Howard is leading a trail ride into the sooke Hills when his horse gets spooked by a dog. Howard (in his bunny costume) and his horse tear off into deep woods. The bunny's head turns and Howard is unable to see where he is going. After 45 minutes the horse tires and Howard is able to dismount and adjust the rabbit head. Lost and hungry, Howard contemplates on eating the horse. The $10 deposit on the animal prevents him from doing so. As night falls, Howard is walking through thick brush where he startles two inexperienced hunters who empty 10 rounds into Howard. If it wasn't for the extra thick padding of his costume, Howard might have visited the big cabbage patch in the sky, but thankfully, he escapes by diving into a patch of thick ferns.
May 6, 1980. Howard, who is sleeping just outside the closed doors of the Ingraham Pub, is awakaned by an explosion. The time is 10:06 and Mt. St. Helens has just erupted. Howard (who was having a nightmare about a nuclear war) awakes in a panic. He runs out around the pub and on to Douglas Street. A bus load of visiting German tourists see Howard and tell the bus driver to stop. As the forty-six Germans file off the tour bus, they converge on Howard, who has now fallen to his knees and is begging God to forgive his sins. All of this is captured on a home video by one of the tourists. A tearful Howard repents for a total of 10 minutes. A passing motorist stops and tells the crowd that Mt. St. Helens has erupted. The crowd disperses, leaving an emotionally fragile rabbit suited Howard huddled in the fetal position, crying like an infant.
1980. Howard is asked by The Canadian Legion to be "Bernie the Bunny" at Timmy's EasterTelethon. Howard accepts the position but the Legion asks that he wash the bunny suit as the smell of high octane fuel, beer,and body odor causes the special needs children to gag.
1981. Howard wins $100 at the Moose Club's Reno night fifty-fifty draw and signs up for classes the University of Victoria. Enrolled in the School of Social Work, Howard soon becomes a visual fixture at the University's Student Union Building's Pub. Howard also runs, unsuccessfully, for the Board of Governors. He receives 18 of the 460 votes cast. Undeterred by this, Howard throws himself into student life and moves for a few months into resident housing until he is removed from his quarters after an unattended still in his room explodes and causes extensive water damage to the room.
1982. The Speedway decides to start drag racing after extending the track to accomodate high winding gassers and rail jobs. Howard starts an awareness campaign by going to pubs and taverns in Victoria to let them know about Drag culture. Unfortunately, this is misinterpreted by a gang of drunken youths who beat Howard outside the Douglas Hotel. They try to pull off the bunny head part of Howard's costume, thinking that he was dressed as a drag queen under the fur. The police are called and they mistakenly arrest Howard. This incident was the "trigger" for the "Bring Back The Night" walk after some local woman's group hears a rumour that awoman was in the bunny suit. At the same time, many of Victoria's gay community read the headline - "TEENS BEAT DRAG QUEEN SENSELESS". This mobilizes the largest showing of support for gays in Victoria's history. A parade stretches for seven city blocks and a rally on the steps of the parliament building where many of the angry and vocal crowd carry placards wwith a large photo of Howard being manhandled by police into a police van. The incident, unfortunately, results in negative publicity for the Speedway, who threaten to sue Howard for the loss of business. Howard spends three months at home watching daytime TV and trying to solve his Rubik's Cube. This lasts until Howard's favourite holiday arrives - Easter. |
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