Karen Hunt grew up in Sweetwater, and recalls fellow Texans asking her about her hometown. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Depending on the weather, or even a pandemic, the towns population beginning Friday could swell from about 11,000 to nearly 40,000 through Sunday. Rattlesnake roundups take 2 different approaches, drawing praise and scorn. Tornado activity: Sweetwater-area historical tornado activity is near Texas state average.It is 28% greater than the overall U.S. average.. On 4/19/1986, a category F3 (max. Visitors and news crews from around the nation and the globe frequently are seen perusing the snake pits at Nolan County Coliseum. We also butcher about 1,000 pounds of them each year that we actually cook on the spot., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Sweetwater Jaycees Rattlesnake Round Up 2023 Nolan County Colisuem 220 Coliseum Drive, Sweetwater, TX Sat 11 March 11 Downtown Lions Club Car Show Thu 23 March 23 - March 25 Ranger College Rodeo at Nolan County Coliseum Nolan County Colisuem 220 Coliseum Drive, Sweetwater, TX Fri 24 March 24 - March 26 Rattlesnake Gravel Grind Sweetwater has held its rattlesnake roundup for more than six decades, and what we have figured out over 64 years is that were not damaging the population of the snakes whatsoever, Cumbie said. Its the biggest event in this town every year, Cumbie said. Rattlesnake roundups take two paths, drawing praise and scorn by The Associated Press | March 12, 2022 at 10:00 p.m. 2023 www.reporternews.com. The snakes skins will eventually show up on cowboy boots, belts and other western wear. Come join the fun and check it out. A mix of light freezing rain and sleet this morning.then cloudy late. (Courtney Sacco/Odessa American via AP, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. We want everybody to come and see us and see what we're doing.". Events began at 4:30 p.m. Thursday with the Rattlesnake Parade, which was followed at 7 p.m. by the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant at Sweetwater Municipal Auditorium. Addie Gedea; Mar 12, 2022 Mar 12, 2022 Updated Mar 12, 2022; Comments; . Rattlesnakes are fascinating, beautiful, but often feared and misunderstood creatures. GRUESOME pictures show rattlesnakes being beheaded, skinned and eaten at a festival in Texas. The snakes skins will eventually show up on cowboy boots, belts and other western wear. Hes the chairman of the milking pit, where venom is extracted and then used to develop various drugs for a range of illnesses. Now, as director of the Sweetwater and Nolan county chamber of commerce, Hunt fields calls from people in England, Germany and other parts of the world inquiring about the festival and making plans to visit. 2022, at the Rattlesnake Roundup Grounds in Whigham. Windy with partly cloudy skies. They come here every single year.". Check out the schedule of events below: Thursday March 10 4:30 Rattlesnake Parade Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Team Calcutta-50% payback. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Rattles are used for souvenirs, as are the heads, Cumbie said. All Rights Reserved. Ronald Erdrich is the photojournalist and a columnist for the Abilene Reporter-News. This does put us on the map, she said. By accessing our site, you agree to the terms of Everfest's privacy policy. The festival started in 1958 and runs annually during the second weekend of March in the city of Sweetwater in Central Texas. WOODSTOCK, Ga. (AP) An annual rattlesnake roundup in south Georgia recently changed the format of this months event to celebrate living snakes without skinning and butchering them, earning plaudits from animal rights activists. The Hunt custom dates back to the 1940s when local farmers suffered from snakes attacking their livestock. All rights reserved. What is advertised as the "World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup" draws about 25,000 visitors annually to the town of Sweetwater, a community in Texas made up of a little over 10,000 people. In Texas, the Sweetwater roundup is intertwined with the town's culture and draws visitors from all over the world. Sweetwater has held its rattlesnake roundup for more than six decades, and what we have figured out over 64 years is that we're not damaging the population of the snakes whatsoever, Cumbie said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifted a mandate requiring face masks and limits on bars and restaurants from March 10, just in time for the 2021 roundup. SWEETWATER, Texas (KCBD) - The 64th Annual World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up will take place on March 11 through 13 at the Nolan County Coliseum, located at 220 Coliseum Drive in Sweetwater. The festival has been criticized by animal rights and environmental groups for the way the snakes are rounded up using gasoline fumes to drive them from their dens. ", 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Katie Tyson, 18, runner up in the Miss Snake Charmer pageant, poses in the snake pit in Sweetwater, Texas, Hundreds of western diamondback rattlesnakes are rounded up each year, Festival-goers can try their hand at beheading and skinning snakes, Avery Schiffner, 16, was crowned Miss Snake Charmer 2021, Kids watch in awe as a handler picks up one of the venomous reptiles, It takes four men to hold down the biggest snakes so they can be measured, The skinning pit is one of the highlights of the Rattlesnake Roundup, Around two and a half tons of snakes are killed each year, Heads displayed on a table ready to be preserved, The heads are pickled in jars with the fangs exposed, A festival-goer skins a rattlesnake during the 2021 Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, Those who have skinned a snake are invited to make a bloody hand print on the wall, The flesh is deep fried and served as nuggets, Competitors take part in the eating contest, The festival dates back to 1958, when farmers wanted a way to control the snake population, A guided snake hunt on the outskirts of Sweetwater, Kaleb Merritt, ten, skins a snake he caught on the hunt, Hundreds of rattlesnakes are caught and killed each year, Python breaks through toilet ceiling at restaurant in Thailand. World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-up in Sweetwater, Texas - YouTube 0:00 / 16:54 World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-up in Sweetwater, Texas 14,062 views Mar 18, 2021 161 Dislike. It began 64 years ago to keep snakes from overtaking the town and attacking livestock, pets and people, organizers say. All rights reserved. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com. This event runs alongside the Sweetwater Rifle and Pistol Club's gun and coin show, founded in the 1940s. Animal rights activists praised an annual rattlesnake roundup in south Georgia that recently changed the format of this months event to celebrate living snakes without skinning and butchering them. While 24,262 pounds of rattlesnakes were bought at the expo in Sweetwater, there were still about 75,000 pounds of rattlesnakes left over, as reported by the . Activists hope that change such as those made by the Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup will inspire others to follow in their. They are also the victims of the largest public slaughter of native wildlife in the United States. After seeing firsthand what goes on in Sweetwater every year, we know there is a better way. Sweetwater Jaycees Announce Rattlesnake Roundup Media Day; Ridin . I'd love to have that discussion. Theres no waste, he said. This is a major attraction that people from all over the world come to for the 2nd full weekend in March every year. What it does for our community is give us a sense of place.. "We have a family that comes from Australia. The same is true in the south Alabama town of Opp, where an annual rattlesnake festival that has drawn thousands for nearly six decades opens on 25 March. Its very much part of our culture.. Rather, organizers liken snake hunting to how other hunters keep deer numbers in check. Snake hunts are offered throughout the day at nearby locales, and audience members will alsohavethe chance to skin a rattlesnakeas well asdine on the reptile's deep-fried meat. In Georgia, organizers say the more humane format they launched for the first time last weekend was a success. Plans for the Worlds Largest Rattlesnake Roundup this weekend in the Texas town of Sweetwater are full-scale ahead, with snakes set to be skinned and others milked of their venom. Sweetwater has held its rattlesnake roundup for more than six decades, "and what we have figured out over 64 years is that we're not damaging the population of the snakes whatsoever," Cumbie. The hungriest competitors went head to head in the eating contest. Thousands of rattlesnakes are bagged up to be put on display in the snake pits. But there is much more to the story that we need to tell. Your User ID or Password reset link will be sent to you. It began 64 years ago to keep snakes from overtaking the town and attacking . We have plenty of outdoor space for more vendors to enjoy the 65th World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup right here in Sweetwater, TX. Begun in 1958 as a means for controlling the rattlesnake population in the area, the roundup has become a major annual driver for the Sweetwater economy. A contestant at the Miss Snake Charmer pageant poses at the 2021 rattlesnake roundup. Every March, what's billed as the World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup brings an estimated 25,000 visitors to Sweetwater,. | Austin, TX. Sweetwater Municipal Auditorium. The town of 11,000 is expected to swell to about 30,000 during the festival, which runs from Friday through Sunday, said Dennis Cumbie, one of the organizers. But no such changes are occurring at a huge rattlesnake roundup beginning this weekend in Texas, a festival that the activists say is barbaric. "We were the biggest event going on in the country, which was rather scary when you think about it, before everything kind of shut down," said Rob McCann, public relations director for the Sweetwater Jaycees. The 63rd World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup - which also sees the crowning of a Miss Snake Charmer beauty queen - went ahead after the state lifted virtually all Covid restrictions last week. Mar 7, 2022 / . The 21st Annual Jaycee Roosters Motorcycle Rally and Cook-off and Swap Meet will be held at Sweetwater Lake Park in Sweetwater, Texas from April 15, 2022 to April 17, 2022. var linktext = username + "@" + hostname; An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. It's the biggest event in this town every year," Cumbie said. For more information, please contact. FILE -Sweetwater Jaycees clean and skinned rattlesnakes during 57th Sweetwater Jaycees World Largest Rattlesnake Round-up at the Nolan County Coliseum in Sweetwater Texas, March 14, 2015. Up to age 12: Free with . Everybody was nervous about it and didnt know how it would go, Cox added. The dunes of the Little Sahara in Little Sahara State Park are the perfect place to ride ATVs. Sweetwater Jaycees Rattle Staid State Capitol with Snakes Miss Snake Charmer 2023 Contestants Attend Pageant Tea Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, SEED, City of Sweetwater, NFC Partner to Bring Free Fitness Court to Newman Park SISD Transfers SHS Interim Principalship to Kathy Smartt The two events are a marked contrast in how rattlesnakes are handled. To register for a guided hunt, you first need to purchase a ticket online, then you need to show up early on the day you purchased a ticket to hunt and sign up with hunter registration located at the back of the coliseum by the weigh-in area. Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Where: Nolan County Coliseum, 220 Coliseum Drive Cost: Adults $10. With two historical museums, the famous rattlesnake roundup, and much more, Sweetwater has fun attractions that will keep you busy! Yes, were the rattlesnake town, they would say. Festival information may not be up to date due to COVID-19, but you can view our list of cancellations here. The Sweetwater Jaycees visited the Texas State Capitol Building this week to promote public awareness of rattlesnakes in advance of the 63rd World's Largest Rattlesnake Round up. Rounding Up Sweetwater started out as a short student film project to capture the worlds largest rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas. There's literally no waste, he said. They are also the victims of the largest public slaughter of native wildlife in the United States. It arose as a result of a wide influx of rattlesnakes that were killing livestock and pets of inhabitants of the community. Guided Snake Hunt - Friday Friday, March 11th For those wishing to see the rattlesnake in its natural habitat, we offer guided hunts. Sweetwater, TX (79556) Today. Join Festivalnet.com now to unlock additional details,