Hey, They’ll Drink To That

Two rural hamlets in the middle of this cold state are fighting for the name McGillicuddy City, and the $100,000 that comes with it. Granville and Streeter, each with fewer than 250 people, are finalists in a contest that would change the winner’s name to honor Dr. McGillicuddy’s, a brand of schnapps made in Canada.

Officials from Sazarac Co., the liquor’s New Orleans-based manufacturer, say they have one main requirement: The town must be cold and snowy, the right kind of weather for a shot of the liquor. The town also needs to have at least one bar, and some lodgings for rent.

With winter bringing temperatures down to 30 below and as much as 8 feet of snow, both towns pass the test.

They beat two other North Dakota towns as well as communities in Minnesota and California.

“If we get it, fine,” said Hilman Ullard, Granville’s mayor. “If we don’t, well, we gave it a shot anyway.”

The name change would only be for four years. The winner could keep its postmark, and Granville plans on keeping its name on the water tower.