Started in 1996 as a goof in response to media comments about the Olympic Games in Atlanta would be held by a group of rednecks the Summer Redneck Games in East Dublin, Georgia have become a nationwide phenomenon. Organizers were expecting a small turnout of about 500 for the first event and instead 5,000 people showed up. Since then the games have turned into one of the biggest annual events in the area with nearly 95,000 visitors in the last decade attending this one day extravaganza. The games are held every year on July 10th and all proceeds from the games are donated to local East Dublin charities like the East Dublin Lions Club.
The Summer Redneck Games are kicked off with the official torch-bearer (a local who goes by the name L-Bow and is the personification of this event) leading the parade of athletes with a propane torch decorated with aluminum from a 6 pack of Budweiser. It features a variety of ridiculous yet hilarious events that reinforce the media’s redneck stereotype. You can participate in the cigarette flip, the hubcap hurl, bobbin’ for pig’s feet, or redneck horseshoes which replaces your contemporary horseshoes with toilet seats. There is also the armpit serenade in which contestants regale the crowds with tunes produced from the fart sounds they can make. In 1998 one contestant serenaded the crowd with the entire theme of the television show Green Acres. Another entertaining event is the mud pit belly flop contest, one of the games most popular events; it puts entrants into a competition to see who can perform the best belly flop while diving into the local mud pit.
The redneck champion of each event is awarded a very unique trophy, a half crushed empty mounted beer can. The festival also has all kinds of redneck snacks and food including corndogs, elephant ears and Alligator Kebabs a festival favorite. The Summer Redneck Games have been featured all over the place including Good Morning America, Maxim, The Tonight Show, MTV’s The Real World as well as many other shows, newspapers and magazines. Although the games are a local experience throughout the years more and more people from around the country have joined in on the fun. Admission to the Summer Redneck Games is only $5 per car, so load up that pickup truck up and get movin’.
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