OPP — Over the weekend, South Alabama’s Covington County hosted the 58th Rattlesnake Rodeo, an annual event that highlights the Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake billed as one of that area’s leading attractions.
For two days, attendees of this family-oriented occasion held at Opp’s Channell-Lee Stadium were treated to snake races, a buck dancing contest, a greasy pole climb, and the grand finale, which was a concert given by The Charlie Daniels Band.
Given this year’s festivities coincided with the early stages of this year’s state elections, it was a political draw that included visits from Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Among the offerings were crafts for kids and vendors offering a variety of foods, including fried rattlesnake.
That delicacy is made possible by a local group called the Trailmasters, which serves the cooked rattlesnake to raise money for its efforts to improve nearby Frank Jackson State Park.
“This is one of our projects every year,” Marvin McCullough of Trailmasters said to Yellowhammer News. “We’ve processed, cooked and served meat. By processing, we no longer clean it. That was done during the Jaycee years, years ago. It now comes from a USDA-certified retailer out of Texas. It comes to us completely frozen. We processed, I believe, over 200 pounds.”
McCullough explained that his group works to maintain the walking trails and offer assistance on things like electrical repairs for the state park.
“It’s a bunch of retired people that enjoy donating their time to the community,” he said.
McCullough said that despite the Trailmasters handling the rattlesnake cooking duties, they don’t actually eat it.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” McCullough said. “All the men you see in here that helps prepare it – there’s eight or ten of them – we do not eat it. But we tell everybody the truth. It’s got bone in it. It’s a reptile. I’ve heard all kinds of comments about it. It may taste like chicken. It may taste like frog. I suspect it tastes like rattlesnake.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a candidate for the GOP nomination in this year’s attorney general race, called it a positive for Opp.
“It’s the remarkable history of the rodeo itself,” he said to Yellowhammer News. “I’m learning a little more about how it got started – very small, interesting assortment of animals over the years they’ve had here. But you know, great event for the community. It brings attention to this area, and I think that’s always a good thing.”
Marshall is one of four candidates vying for the GOP nod, which also includes Chess Bedsole, Alice Martin and Troy King.
“I mean, we’re out there – it’s busy,” Marshall added. “It’s nice for me to be able to share the kind of stories I did earlier about remarkable opportunities I have to work with law enforcement and I need to be able to make sure I’m their advocate. There’s a lot of issues we’re dealing with in this state and to be able to talk about those with people it matters to. So, I’m very appreciative for the opportunity I’ve been given and look forward to the opportunity to try to be able to stay there.”
One of the vendors set up for the weekend was former University of Alabama football running back great Sherman Williams, who also had a stint with the Dallas Cowboys. Williams, who was hawking his book “Crimson Cowboy,” said eventgoers had been supportive.
“Rattlesnake Rodeo business has been pretty good,” he said to Yellowhammer. “A lot of people come out and support the organization. Me and David Palmer – we got this organization called the Palmer-Williams group.”
Williams urged anyone interested in his effort to visit the group’s website for more information and praised the city of Opp for hosting the Rattlesnake Rodeo.
“We’re raising funds for our organization,” he said. “People get the book – they support the book. We have a lot of Alabama and Auburn fans out here. They really enjoy the sport of football. It’s a fun book and people like it. The city of Opp putting on this Rattlesnake Rodeo has been a blessing for our organization.”
Covington County Sheriff Dennis Meeks, also a candidate seeking re-election this year, told Yellowhammer News it had been a good year for the annual event and explained it had drawn people from other parts of the country.
“The Rattlesnake Rodeo is the biggest event that Opp puts on every year,” he said. “It’s been going on for 58 years now, and I have been to several of them. It’s a great event. Yesterday was a good day. We had lots of folks come through. But it is a big booster for Opp. It’s unique, too. A lot of people come from all over. I had a couple come through yesterday. They were from Arkansas. A lot of people set the date – they come down here just for it. They’re not just passing through. They actually come for it. It’s fun. Lots of vendors here, lots of good eats.”
He also touted the educational function of the event, which offers attendees information about snakes.
“It has been great weather,” Meeks added. “I’ve been here in years past when it would still be cold – you know, we’d have a cold front come through, or it might be rain or whatever. This weekend, the good Lord shined down on them. We’re having great weather.”
Meeks, however, declined to comment on the ongoing controversy involving the loophole that allows Alabama county sheriffs to pocket excess funds leftover from monies allocated for county jail inmate food when asked.
Covington County voters will also have the opportunity to vote on the Republican Party’s nominee for this year’s second congressional district election. Incumbent Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) is among a crowded field of GOP hopefuls that also includes Tommy Amason, Barry Moore, Bobby Bright and Rich Hobson.
Hobson, formerly the administrative director of the Alabama Judicial System and Roy Moore’s 2017 U.S. Senate campaign manager, greeted voters on Sunday and told Yellowhammer News of his ties to Opp.
“The Rattlesnake Rodeo is great, and all the folks out here are very excited and having a good time,” Hobson said. “I’ve been having a great time meeting the folks of Covington County, and proud to say I lived here from 1987-92 and it’s good to see a bunch of old friends and make new friends. Also, my kids were born here, and they turned out pretty good, too. But I’ve just been out here meeting the voters trying to tell people about me. I’m trying to unseat Martha Roby.”
Hobson offered his thoughts the passage of the omnibus spending bill last week, which criticized Roby for supporting.
“My hopes were up that the president was going to veto it,” Hobson said. “I tell you what – I would have been a ‘no’ vote on that. And I was real surprised that our congressman, the one I’m trying to unseat right now did vote on it.”
“It included half-a-billion dollars to fund Planned Parenthood, and I’m telling you I would never vote for a budget that included any money to pay for abortions,” he added.
During the concert, Charlie Daniels took a moment to offer his thoughts on current events, including his use of social media, specifically Twitter, as a sounding board.
Opp Alabama we enjoyed the day with yall
We love you. God bless pic.twitter.com/im64bALJDG— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) March 25, 2018
Daniels told the audience he had resisted some of the technological offerings but embraced Twitter. With that, he explained he had gotten some unfavorable responses to his tweets.
“For you folks that call me a redneck and a hillbilly, I got two words: thank you!” he said.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
(Image: Jeff Poor / Yellowhammer News)
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.