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Mangum Rattlesnake Derby
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When:
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Apr 2008 (annual)
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Where:
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Mangum
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| Costs: |
Free
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| Opening Hours: |
Fri & Sat 8am-6pm; Sun 12pm-4pm
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There's nothing quite like the word "snake" to make you sit up and take notice. Over 30,000 people flock to the annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby to indulge, or conquer, their serpentine fears - there are nearly as many rattlers present as there are people.
If you're here to prove your courage, head straight for the hunting areas where the competitions for Largest Snake, Most Pounds of Snakes and Most Snakes take place. Experienced guides provide you with training and equipment, but once you head down into the snake pit you're on your own...
For a less active role, head for the snake pits at the south-west corner of the downtown square, where you can safely get within inches of hundreds of rattlers. No snake show would be complete without the spectacle of professional snake charmers, wrestlers and handlers doing the business with rattlers, pythons, alligators and more. Head for the Big Top to see the continuous shows. You can also test the myth that snakes taste just like chicken at the aptly named Bite Back Café.
It's not all snakes, snakes, snakes though; there's a large flea market with over 500 stalls, a five-kilometre run, a square dance and a fairground stacked full of rides for the kids. The crowning moment of the derby is the announcement of Miss Derby Princess, who has the dubious honour of taking her throne amidst the competition winners, adorned with their record snakes.
Recent years have seen animal activists take issue with the derby but organisers maintain it's a fun day out and that it's in the interests of the snakes to educate people and dispel some of the myths and fear surrounding the serpent.
Although the poison of a rattlesnake can kill you, their reputation is somewhat undeserved. As is usually the case you will find that the snakes are inevitably more scared of you than vice versa and will only ever attack if provoked. If you do get bitten though, the venom seeps into you through hollow fangs, the rattlesnake releases its grip and allows you to thrash around wildly as the poison courses like quicksilver through your system, rendering you paralysed, but alive enough to feel the full force of your realised fears...
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