Want To Be A Part Of Crazy, Massive Snake Hunt?

I'm going to preface any and every derogatory comment I might make towards this event and the people that participate in it with the following:  well, Indiana Jones said it best...

I hate em.  The book of Genisis didn't differentiate between "good" snake and "bad" snake.   And since a serpent can be blamed for man's biblical exile from paradise, then I will fall on the side of all snakes are bad.  Which leads me to this annual, psychotic event that takes place in the Florida Everglades:  The Python Challenge.  And yes, registration for your participation is now open for the August 5th festivities.

Last year’s “Python Challenge” saw more than 600 people from 25 states compete for prizes like $2,500 for the most pythons captured and $1,500 for the longest snake. The first-prize winner captured 223 pythons, while the $1,500 winner bagged a snake that was more than 15 feet long.  Their mothers must be so proud. <g>

The reason for this is not as savage as it appears on paper.  In fact, it's an ecological necessity.  Because pythons have virtually no natural enemies in the Everglades, populations of mammals, birds, and other fellow reptiles have been severely depleted.  One catch to all this tho, snakes must be killed humanely.  Who and how do you judge THAT?!  Anyone asking the snake?

I've always said the most fun I've ever had at any fair or festival was the first time I attended the "Woolly Worm Festival" in Banner Elk.

Literally, you have people drinking, eating, and gambling at the speed of a fuzzy worm (see above pic) racing up a string.  Just thinking about it now, I start laughing.  Totally, preposterous fun.  However, Banner Elk's pride and joy are just the tip of the crazy festival iceberg.

Come to Nederland, Colorado, for this event featuring coffin races, costumed polar plunges, icy turkey bowling, and even a frozen T-shirt contest!  Sounds like fun, but also sounds REAL cold (not my jam).  Still too cold in March in Colorado for me.

Grab up all your kin folk and head to Pikeville, Kentucky for this celebration of Appalachian culture.  Featured events include:  a cornhole tournament, quilt show, hillbilly music, food and local crafts.

Ever wonder who makes-and where-Duct Tape?  The answer is Shurtape Technologies in Avon, Ohio (suburb of Cleveland).   Each June the locals pay homage to their hometown product that none of us can live without.

EASILY, my favorite name for a festival, this takes place in Crystal Falls, Michigan.  People come from all over the world to pay homage to the world’s largest, oldest living organism, a 200,000-pound shoestring mushroom occupying 38 acres of land and dating back anywhere from 1,500 to 10,000 years.  Food, fun, and falderal abounds.

What better way to honor the bovine that drive the Wisconsin dairy industry than with a party set around cow chips.  There's a cow chip parade and or course the spectacle of watching competitors vie for the state's cow chip toss record-live from Prairie du Sac.

Lest you think cow chips are the only things that can be flung at a festival.  Welcome to Lowville, New York and September's Cream Cheese Festival.  In addition to the "Flinging Cream Cheese Toss," you can paint murals with the spread, participate in an all-you-can-eat contest and even take a bite from the world's largest cheesecake.

Coarsegold, California is where you'll find this celebration of arachnid-inspired poems, music, crafts, and events.  Some of which include a hairy legs contest, a tarantula hat dance, and a tarantula derby.  And since Halloween is right around the corner on the calendar, the festival also features trick-or-treating and pumpkin decorating

And since we opened this by mentioning the Tar Heel State's contribution to this list, if you've never seen a woolly worm race, here ya go.  And make plans to head up to Banner Elk in the fall.  You won't regret it for a second!