Sunday's joust at a festival in Barre was a modern-day re-enactment of a fabled fist fight over the city's naming. Mayor Thomas Lauzon and Jeff Blow, chairman of the town's selectboard, teetered on padded pedestals in the middle of a ring as they wielded their jousting sticks.
The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus reports Blow toppled Lauzon in less than 15 seconds and the mayor returned the favor with a below-the-belt thrust.
In a deciding third match, Lauzon broke his ribs when he lunged toward Blow and slammed into his pedestal. The mayor's wife, Karen Lauzon, said Monday he's OK.