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| 'Snake Race' at the Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo. |
The Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo is an event that I’ve heard about all of my life, but for whatever reason, I’d never been to see it in person. I added this event
to my “bucket list” several years ago, and I finally got the chance to attend this
past Saturday. It was an experience that I won't soon forget.
Opp, a city of about 6,600 residents in Covington County, Ala., has been holding an annual rattlesnake rodeo every year since 1960. This year’s
rodeo was the city's 54th annual, and the two-day event included a wide variety
of activities. Crowds not only received a close up look at live (and deadly) rattlesnakes, but they also got to watch a 5-K race, a beauty pageant, multiple snake
races, karaoke singers, buck dancing, a greased pole climb and a wide variety
of entertainers.
My family and I arrived at the rodeo Saturday morning, and I
was actually a little shocked by the size of the crowd. This year, the rodeo was held on the
football field at Opp High School, and I was impressed by
the number of people that had packed into the friendly confines of this old stadium. After we found a parking space within walking distance of the stadium, we headed towards the ticket window.
Admission was $10 per person, except for children age six
and under. We paid and made our way into the stadium, where I was again struck by the
size of the crowd. From our vantage point at the top of the stadium, I could
plainly see that this was no run-of-the-mill, local festival. People were
everywhere, milling about among the arts and crafts vendors, food stands and
rides for kids.
We’d come to see Opp’s famous rattlesnakes, which are rounded
up by professional handlers in the weeks leading up to the event. To get to the snakes, we walked counterclockwise around the stadium to a shaded pen
where several handlers displayed large rattlesnakes housed in a long mesh cage. Every
now and then, one of the handlers will pluck one of the huge vipers from the
cage and walk him around so the crowd can get a closer look.
The crowd is kept safe and well away from the snakes thanks to
a sturdy fence, but you still get a good look at the snakes. We also happened to be
there when a reporter from the TV station in Dothan was there interviewing the
handlers and getting video and audio of the rattlesnakes. She even lowered a
microphone into the cage to get a close up recording of the snakes rattling, and we watched as one of the large snakes sank his fangs into the head of the microphone.
Next we took to the crowded, but shaded, bleachers where we
grabbed a seat and prepared to watch the rattlesnake race. The race we watched
was actually the second heat in a series of races that would culminate at the
end of the day with a championship race. (We didn't stick around for that, so I can't tell you who won.)
Before the race, handlers
placed a dozen or so rattlers in a metal garbage can. Each snake was numbered for identification, and each snake was
sponsored by an area business or organization. At the signal, the can was
emptied into the center of a small circle, and the snakes “raced” toward a
larger circle that had been drawn 10 to 12 feet away. The first, second, third
and fourth place snakes advanced to the next round of the competition.
My family and I left after several hours of rattlesnake
rodeo fun, but the event went on until late that night and continued on into
the next day. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend that you check it out if
you ever get the chance. For more information about the rodeo, visit www.rattlesnakerodeo.com.
In the end, how many of you have ever been to the Opp
Rattlesnake Rodeo? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Let us
know in the comments section below.
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