On the second weekend of March, Sweetwater, Texas holds its annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. Sweetwater is out in West Texas, west of Abilene.About the same time, way down in the South Texas Gulf zone, near Corpus Christi, Historic Old San Patricio holds the World Championship Rattlesnake Races.
An eighteen wheeler driver from Alice, named Larry Belcher, had a string of winning the World Championship 3 years in a row with his pet rattlesnake, Sleepy.
You can bring your own snake to the races or use one provided by a local snake hunter. It costs $20 to enter a snake race. There are several heats, with the winner of each heat getting a plaque. The World Champion finals take place Sunday with the winner getting the coveted World Champion Rattlesnake Race Trophy.
To get the rattlesnakes to slither, 5 foot long plastic tubes, called "go-getters," are used to tap the ground, causing a vibration that gets the snakes moving.
Daily admission to the races is $5. There are other things to do besides watching snakes slither. There is a carnival, arts and crafts booths, food, live music, exhibitions, rattlesnake handling and lots of cold beer.
I can't decide whether to go to the Races or the Roundup this year. I've got a 3 months to decide.
Lemme get this straight you can 'brown bag' your snake? BYOS? The hairs on the left side of my head will not go down. Come to Georgia instead! Our bite isn't deadly ;) (much).
ReplyDeleteox lulu
and while we're at the Races, let's consume copious amounts of beer, meet Mr. Belcher & Sleepy, and then try a little snake-handlin ourselves.
ReplyDeleteick.
lulu