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Charlie & Debbie

Wait, Bog Snorkeling Championships Are A Thing?

Author Charlie & Debbie

Not to say we don’t have some fun and interesting “competitions” here in the United States that have to raise an eyebrow or two on the world stage, we do.  No, no, don’t scoff.  If you think the world doesn’t see the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition on Coney Island every July 4th and gasp in horror, you’re kidding yourself.  That being said, I LOVE “The World Wife Carrying” contest in Norway.  And who doesn’t love watching the carnage that is that crazy cheese roll chasing debacle in England each year?  Now I have a new fascination:  Bog Snorkeling.

The World Bog Snorkeling Championships recently took place in Wales.  Okay, I won’t make you wait any longer for details.  According to RTE News, The event takes place annually at Waen Rhydd peat bog in Llanwrtyd Wells where competitors try to complete two consecutive lengths of a 55-metre water-filled trench cut through a peat bog in the shortest time possible.

Masks, snorkels, and flippers are the tools of the trade as these “athletes” brave the bog.  I’m almost certain their mothers warned them to stay away from them as children.  I’m imagining the World Bog Snorkeling Champion’s family at the finish line.  Hugs?  Doubt it.  Kisses?  Are you kidding?  Orders of “Don’t come near me until you’ve taken 3 showers?”  Oh, that’s definite.

The Craziest Festivals You Can Attend In North Carolina and Elsewhere


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.

  • Frozen Dead Guy Days (March)

    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.

  • Hillbilly Days (April)

    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.

  • Duct Tape Festival (June)

    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.

  • Humungus Fungus Fest (August)

    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.

  • Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw And Festival (September)

    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.

  • Cream Cheese Festival (September)

    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.

  • Tarantula Awareness Festival (October)

    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

  • Woolly Worm Festival (October)

    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!

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.

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