The 13th Annual Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo is only days away, and folks all across the Delta are welcome to come to Lake Washington next weekend and enjoy the slithering fun.
The rodeo begins Friday, June 3, with a concert by the classic rock band “Haircane.” The concert will take place at the Roy’s Store Pavilion at 8 p.m.
Then on Saturday June 4, the snake rodeo will kick in to high gear as teams of boats anchor off at about 9:30 a.m. to catch as many snakes as they can. Last year, Kolby Cox caught 20 snakes for his team to help them take home the top prize.
Cox described his success like this: Once he got out of his boat, he sneaks up on the snakes in the shallow water. When he sees a snake, he does not hesitate for a moment. And, despite having a number of snake bites on his arms and wrists at last year’s rodeo, Cox said he was never scared.
“I have been doing this for a while, and I know they are not going to really hurt you,” Cox said.
The snake grabbing contest will conclude at about 2 p.m., and the teams will weigh their batch of snakes at the Roy’s Store Pavilion.
At the end of the competition, each team brings their snakes back to the pavilion at Roy’s Store in Chatham, where an overflow crowd oohs and aahs as the competitors put their snakes into barrels for the count.
Once again, this year’s Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo will raise money to benefit someone in need with JJ Bailey, of Brandon, being this year’s beneficiary.
Bailey,19, was seriously injured in a vehicle accident on the way home from work on Sept. 29 of last year when his vehicle hydroplaned and overturned, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury requiring multiple surgeries.
Bailey’s recovery is a long process and will be a heavy burden on his family, mentally and financially. On top of normal medical bills there are many hidden expenses for the family during these trying times. One hundred percent of the proceeds, after initial cost of the running the snake rodeo, will go directly to Bailey’s family.
This year’s raffle includes an autographed jacket worn by Yellowstone actor Cole Hauser, a glock 43x handgun and a 6.5 Creedmor rifle.
Jimmie Nichols, an event organizer of the snake rodeo, said he hopes the rodeo raises even more money for JJ Bailey than it did last year when it raised more than $25,000 for police officer Corey Ray, who was struggling with health issues.
“We really enjoy the opportunity to give something back,” Nichols said. “This even is one of the unique events anywhere in the country, and the best thing is that it is all for such a great cause.”
After the snake weigh in, folks will have a chance to meet some of the television celebrities who are expected to attend the snake rodeo. These celebrities include Ashley “Deadeye” Jones, Leron Jones and Anthony “Porkchop Williams” from the television show “Swamp People”; Brian Easterling from the show “Forged in Fire”; and Brad Cooney, John Bullard and Amy Bullard from the show “House in Between”. The celebrity meet and greet will take place at 3:45.
The rodeo will conclude Saturday at 8 p.m. with a concert by the country rock band “Shake the Bucket.”
