The Myth of the Golden Locotami
Way back in the early 1840s when the construction of the Horseshoe Curve had just begun, engineer J. Edgar Thompson enlisted the help of Golden Locotami. These creatures were native to the Allegheny Mountains, their golden-yellow fur helped them camouflage into the mountains during the fall when they were known to hibernate. They were agile, fast, and loved to eat as seen by their portly bellies.
Thompson used these Golden Locotami to boost morale and help create a fun, high-energy atmosphere for the workers on the Horseshoe Curve. They were so good at putting smiles on the workers' faces, they started to call them Loco, short for locomotive and Locotami.
One day, during his farewell tour, Steamer was making his way around the Curve when he heard a rustling in the trees and stopped to check it out. He spotted a bright multi-colored sprout of fur standing out from a row of bushes. Steamer slowly crept up to get a closer look at what was under the colorful sprout. Just as Steamer got an arms length away, the creature jumped and stared Steamer straight in the face. Steamer, being the courageous locomotive he is, didn't back down. Although Steamer couldn't talk, he and this new species seemed to be able to communicate with each other. After examining the creature, Steamer knew right away that it had to be a Golden Locotami. The signature golden fur, the portly belly, and the horseshoe birthmark on its right side, there was no doubt in Steamer's mind what this creature was.
Steamer knew right away what a find this was. He and everybody in the railroad community thought the Golden Locotami had been nothing more than a myth. Steamer communicated with the creature and knew just what he had to do. He rushed his new fuzzy friend to Peoples Natural Gas Field to show his good friends the Lozinak family what he had discovered.
The minute the Lozinaks saw this crazy creature they knew there was only one thing to do. They immediately called David Raymond, The Mascot Doctor, and hired him to examine the specimen. After mere minutes of seeing the creature, Dr. Dave was convinced that Steamer had found an actual Golden Locotami. Once the Curve ownership heard that this creature was indeed a Locotami, they knew he was the only replacement for Steamer as the new mascot for the Altoona Curve.
The Curve agreed that this creature had to be named, and after much deliberation the appropriate name given to the critter was, Loco. Loco was so crazy and unpredictable, ownership came to the conclusion he shouldn't be known by a number, but by a symbol…a question mark. The question mark symbolizes his crazy, unpredictable acts. The mark also reflects on the past, when Locotami were thought just as myths or creatures from a bedtime story.
Steamer agreed to stay for the remainder of the 2015 season to teach "Loco" everything he needed to know about being the greatest mascot in all of minor league baseball.