Unusal Labor Day jaunts: It’s a festival bonanza

by Jamie Rhein on

You’ve probably noticed if you’ve browsed your local paper that Labor Day weekend, along with kicking off football, is a great one for festivals. Last night I started off my Labor Day weekend early by heading to the Millersport Sweet Corn Festival. I proclaimed it a hit after we had only been there for about 15 minutes.

So did my brother and a friend of his. They live in the heart of Manhattan and said several times over how clean it is was. Seriously. Folks in Millersport know how to use trash cans. Plus, the corn can’t be beat. It was not uncommon to see people with a pile of buttered ears in front of them, all to be chowed down in one sitting.

For other places to head to make this Labor Day weekend a stand out, Intelligent Travel has a post of festival offerings. These are unusual events that capture the fun you can find without a lot of effort besides getting in the car and going.

If you can’t make it to one of these this year, consider them for next year’s Labor Day. Why stay at home when there’s corn to eat , grapes to stomp, dancing to do, and more?

  • Kansas City Irish Fest in Kansas City, Missouri
  • The Irvington Stomp in Irvington, Virginia.
  • Marshall County Blueberry Festival in Plymouth, Indiana
  • Hard Crab Derby and Fair in Crisfield, Maryland
  • New York State Festival of Balloons in Dansville, New York
  • Albuquerque/Denver Tango Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Head to the Intelligent Travel Website for links to each festival. Make sure you click on Irvington Stomp. What a hoot.

Testicle Festival: Adults Only

by Jamie Rhein on

Wednesday was the first day of the Testicle Festival. I’m wondering if it’s going on as usual, though, since there are fires blazing near Clinton, Montana where this yearly event turns this mostly quiet place into five days of whooping it up in what I would describe as all in good, but not that clean fun. As my husband said when I read him the details, “It’s not something to take the kids to.”

The festival started off on the grounds of Rock Creek Lodge with No Panty Wednesday where attendees could trade in their underwear for a free drink. Yesterday was the tattoo contest and body painting. Those might sound sort of tame, but how about today’s Ball Biting Contest ? This is not really what it sounds like–well it kind of is. Rocky Mountain oysters are involved (bull testicles). If you’re speedy on a tricycle, you can compete in the Undy 500 tricycle race or you can try your skills catching a slicked up pig. Oil wrestling, a nut eating contest and a wet T-shirt and Hairy Chest contest round out the activities that say leave your inhibitions at the gate. Along with the free wheeling frolics, the festival’s signature dish–bull testicles are served up filleted, beer-battered, and deep fried.

So why the Testicle Festival? According to the creator, Dr. Rod Lincoln, the name has a certain ring to it. The nickname, The Testy Festy is just as catchy. Somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 people attend. I’ve read both numbers.

This is truly adults only entertainment–people under 21 are not admitted. The $15 admission cost is good for the whole thing whether you go for a few hours or everyday. Here’s a write up from Legends of America that mentions similar events, if one isn’t enough.

Gadling’s Unusual Fesivals of the World: August

by Martha Edwards on

Hey gang! This is just a quick note to let you know that we’ve posted the August edition of Gadling’s Round-Up of Unusual Festivals now, which you can check out here. Want a quick highlight of this month’s bizarre events? There’s:

  • A festival based around the oyster of the prairies, if you get my drift and I think you do …
  • A chance to get down and dirty in a pool of mashed potatoes
  • An eating contest for vegetarians
  • An event that happens in the buff and in the sauna
  • A beauty pageant for a popular creature of the sea

And as always, let us know if you have any to add.

Is Anyone Out There? The UFO Festival Has Answers

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday when we were driving somewhere, my daughter started talking about the Big Bang Theory which got us talking about the universe. I don’t think about the universe much. I’ve never been one to look up at the stars and wonder what’s out there. Perhaps, it’s because I travel around in my head a lot when I travel about the world. But, yesterday I looked up at the sky and thought, “My word, what is out there?”

Then today I read this first person account article on The UFO Festival in Roswell, New Mexico. Neil already wrote a post about this in May but its worth another mention since this is its 60 th year and it is coming up the beginning of July. Here’s the schedule. New Mexico does seem like a perfect place for such an event.

I’ve always thought it evokes the feeling of something being “out there” because its landscape is so vast and mysterious looking. When I lived there, I never became tired of seeing how the earth changed colors as the sun set. It starts to glow an orangey reddish- brown color that looks a bit Mars-like by the late afternoon.

And because Roswell is not the biggest of cities, I’m sure the townspeople like having the UFO mystery as part of their folklore and fame. It certainly gives people a reason to head that way. If you miss the festival, you can find out more about the Rosewell/UFO connection at the International UFO Museum and Research Center. For a scientific musing about the stars and planets, go to the Robert H. Goddard Planetarium.