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A typical summer for the average American consists of a picnic or two, some time at the beach, and of course a carnival or a food festival—especially if you are from a small town. Usually the theme is based on that particular town’s local produce or specialty, be it peaches, asparagus, gumbo or cheese curds. There are usually fireworks, parades, car shows, cook-offs, and maybe even a fashionable 10K race.
But some towns add a little spice, and yes, sometimes even a little (or big?) testicle. These are the quirkiest food festivals in America. So rev up your road trip engines, loosen your belt buckles, tuck a (paper) napkin in your collar and dig in!
1. Gizzard Festival: June 6-8, Potterville, MI
Let’s kick things off with the Potterville Gizzard Festival, which is going on right now. Complete with all the traditional regalia of a fine food festival—a car show, a mud derby, some fireworks and a parade—there is also the annual gizzard eating contest at Joe’s Potterville Inn. Not for the faint of stomach, contestants have to eat two pounds of gizzards as quickly as they can. Winners get bragging rights for the year, plus $100 in cold, hard cash. Whoever said one couldn’t make a living eating chicken gizzards?
And what exactly is a chicken gizzard? A gizzard is a secondary stomach that can be found in both birds and reptiles. It aids in digestion by grinding food with ingested stones before returning the food to the primary stomach. Mmmm! Supposedly, it’s a little like chewy chicken liver and, when lightly seasoned with a little salt and pepper, can be quite nice. If you live near Potterville and you’re equal parts hungry and brave, grab a gizzard hat and head out there this weekend.
2. RC and MoonPie Festival: June 21, Bell Buckle, TN
You really can’t get more Southern than a cold RC Cola and a freshly unwrapped MoonPie. Add a little BBQ into the mix and you have the Bell Buckle RC and MoonPie Festival. When a population of just over 400 swells to 15,000 for one weekend of the year you know it’s gotta be good. And is it ever—they bake the world’s largest MoonPie! Each year, the newly elected MoonPie King and Queen select a group of Knights for their round table. These Knights aid in the ceremonial cutting and distributing of free pieces of the world’s largest MoonPie.
But the real draw of this festival is the “Synchronized Wading” extravaganza. Described as “dry humor on a wet stage,” the Down Home Divas (led by First Lady Carla Webb) will perform “A Midsummer’s Nightmare” this year. It will star Miss Moon Pie and feature special appearances by the Googoo cluster and a Coke. A cheeky twist on Shakespeare performed in a kiddie pool? Count me in! [Image courtesy of pulltight.]
3. Bologna: July 25-27, Yale, MI
Yale bologna is said to be some of the best in the world. A bit courser and more strongly seasoned than your typical Oscar Mayer slice, this bologna has been rumored to help people live to be 120 years old. (We couldn’t find any 120-year-old bologna enthusiasts to confirm this.) Every year, in a single weekend, over a thousand pounds of bologna are served either fried in sandwiches, stuck between a bun as a hot dog or placed around a stick in ring form.
The Bologna Queen crown is quite prestigious in Yale. Contestants must declare their intention to run up to six weeks in advance and be willing to raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity. The lucky lady who captures this highly respected title receives a crown of ringed bologna and a King for her arm. And of course, there is the outhouse race where people build a crude loo on wheels to push around town as fast as they can. The only requirements? The inclusion of a Sears catalog and somebody riding inside—hopefully not because of one too many bologna sticks.
4. Testicle Festival: July 30-Aug 3, Rock Creek Lodge, MT
Sorry kiddies, this one is not for you. Also known as the “Testy Festy” or the “Breasticle Festival,” this four-day drunken jamboree is filled with wet t-shirt contests, pig wrestling, stripping, mooning, bull riding, and fried bull testicle consumption. Called “Rocky Mountain Oysters,” bull testicles are considered delicious by a select group of fine diners. In a showcase of masculine virility, there is even a bull testicle eating contest. Matt Powers took the title last year after consuming over 40 bull testicles in four minutes. Mentioned in Playboy as one of the top things to do in the summer (as long as you’re down with nudity and motorcycles), you should follow their advice and “come out and have a ball!”
5. Humongous Fungus: August 7-10, Crystal Falls, MI
In honor of the world’s largest—and possibly oldest—living organism, the Amirillaria Bulbosa (aka “honey mushroom,” which spans 38 acres under an Iron County forest and may be as old as 10,000 years), the good people of Crystal Falls, Michigan, throw a festival every year. People travel from all over the world to get a glimpse of this humongous fungus, but can be bitterly disappointed upon realization that it is almost completely underground. But their disappointment does not last long. At the festival there are fungus shirts, fungus burgers, fungus fudge, and fungus mushroom hats to assuage their grief.
And did I mention the HUMONGOUS sausage and mushroom pizza they cook every year? Placed over a roasting pit in a humongous pizza-roasting pan by a humongous lumber truck crane, this pizza measures over 100 square feet! [Image courtesy of Kim Olson.] Other events include a mushroom cook-off, a strong man competition and a humongous picnic. Plus David Letterman once mentioned the famed Humungous Fungus on one of his top ten lists.
6. Roadkill Festival: Sept 27, Marlinton, WV
This is where it starts to get good. With taglines like “You kill it we grill it; featuring some of the highway’s finest” and “Eating food is more fun when you know it was hit on the run,” Marlinton, West Virginia, knows how to bring a little humor into a good food festival. Featuring any animal often—but in this case, not actually—roadkill, contestants cook up recipes using possum, beaver, raccoon, snake, deer or armadillo. Care to try some “Deer Smear Quesadillas” or “Bumper Bruised Barbequed Bear”? This is the place!
7. Turkey Testicle Festival: October 11, Byron, IL
It must be the rhyming, because I cannot think of any other reason why there are so many testicle festivals. This one, however, is a little more PG. Still only for the 21-and-over crowd (is it necessary to be plastered when consuming fried testicles?), the Turkey Testicle Festival consists of more savory activities like Karaoke, a performance by the Testilett dancers, and a fundraiser for charity that brought in over $25,000 last year.
Every year, over 275 lbs. of turkey testicles are consumed at Byron’s Union Street Station. Now in its 30th year, this festival is facing an uphill battle to continue the tradition. Last year, an underage drinker got past security, and passed out in the bathroom, prompting a police investigation. Now the fate of this storied festival is up in the air. How storied? Well, there’s a song dedicated to it.
Honorable Mentions
• The Dam Festival in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. Just think of the possibilities… “Where are you off to?” “I’m going to that Dam Festival.”
• The Hopps of Fun Beer Festival in Mackinaw City, Michigan. I just really liked the title.
• The Pasty Festival in Calumet, Michigan. It’s not that kind of pasty…but there is a poetry slam!
• The Menudo Festival in San Fernando, California. Menudo is tripe, or cow’s stomach. It’s thought to cure a hangover, but I don’t think I’ve ever met a hangover worth menudo.
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Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
Comments (36)
Comment
This might sound weird but I love, love, love chicken gizzard. I could go for some this weekend…too bad I’m in Florida. Anyone live near Potterville want to go and let me live vicariously though you?
posted by Dylan on 6-6-2008 at 9:37 pm
Here in my home town of Shelby, North Carolina, we have a Livermush Festival every year.
Don’t know what livermush is? According to Wikipedia, it’s “a Southern United States foodstuff composed of pig liver, head parts, and cornmeal. It is commonly spiced with pepper and sage.”
I swear to God it’s not as gross as it sounds…it’s actually quite delicious.
posted by AMT on 6-6-2008 at 9:44 pm
Great Post!
And my recaptcha says Guaso Mused, which sounds like a tasty dish of something Salvador Dali would like.
posted by Johnny Cat on 6-6-2008 at 11:18 pm
I have to agree with Dylan. Gizzards sound disgusting, but they are really good. I refused to eat them for a long time, and when I finally tried them, I was in love.
Is it odd that so many festivals like this are in MI?
posted by Heather on 6-7-2008 at 9:59 am
here in maine we have the annual moxie festival. moxie, the official soft drink of maine, is sort of a root beer with gentian root being the not-so-secret ingredient. mmmmm. i sure love moxie.
posted by tilly on 6-7-2008 at 11:44 am
You forgot Mike the Headless Chicken festival in Fruita, Utah! Its already passed for this year, but considering how awesome the town is (giant dinosaurs, bumper benches…) it could be worth a look next year.
posted by Katie on 6-7-2008 at 11:54 am
Near my hometown in central Texas, the small community of Lometa holds a Rattlesnake Round-up every March. Typical county fair activities with the addition of rattlesnake capturing, roasting and eating.
Another unique festival near is the July “Spring Ho” Festival in Lampasas, about 11 miles from Lometa. It doesn’t center around food but around the fact that the town was built on some absolutely freezing natural springs. Yes, there is a Miss “Spring Ho” competition. None of the older folks in town know why we all giggled at the winner of that beauty pageant.
posted by lightlylilly on 6-7-2008 at 11:57 am
Great first post, Kristen! Very interesting.
@ lightlylilly: There is a Rattlesnake Festival in early spring here, too. I refuse to go (due to my paralyzing fear of snakes and aversion to eating something I’m terrified of) but everyone says it’s fun. I’m still glad to know that central Texans are just as weird as central Oklahomans.
recaptcha: 112,556 Lennox. That’s a crazy address.
posted by adrienne on 6-7-2008 at 3:41 pm
There is an annual zucchini festival close to where I used to live. Ironically, I don’t think anyone grew zucchinis there. Anyway, the festivities included a zucchini race, where everyone would take a zucchini and throw it into the river. Whichever one floated to the end fastest was the winner.
That’s western Massachusetts for you…
posted by Casey on 6-7-2008 at 3:47 pm
In downstate Delaware theres an Apple Scrapple festival in the fall. (scrapple is akin to sausage, but with nastier pig parts in it). It’s a Delaware thing, I spose.
I’ve never been, but I think I’m going with my friend from Rochester, NY this year. He loves scrapple and never discovered it until he started college at the University of Delaware, haha.
The festivities even include a scrapple throwing contest. It’s bound to be….interesting.
posted by Laura on 6-7-2008 at 7:13 pm
Is Sears a sponsor of the Yale Bologna festival? Or is that bathroom reading material? Or…TP?
posted by CJ on 6-7-2008 at 8:05 pm
So, I’m from Central Illinois, and we have every food festival you can think of, including the Turkey Festival, the Popcorn Festival and the Pumpkin Festival.
But I currently live in Saint Louis, and today I went to the International Horseradish Festival in Collinsville IL, which continues through tomorrow. I will say though, it sounds much more impressive than it really is, but it’s cheap and friendly, and in a great location!
posted by Patrick J. on 6-7-2008 at 10:24 pm
I’ve been to several of these festivals, being a Michigander. Once our snow melts, we know how to have fun up here!
posted by Audrey B on 6-8-2008 at 1:02 pm
How could you miss central IL’s (Mt. Sterling, Illinois) Testicle Festival to be held this coming Saturday?
June 14
Testicle Festival
111 N. Capitol St., Mount Sterling
Annual food event features beef, hog, lamb, and turkey testicles
with all the trimmings. Proceeds go to charity. Must be 21
years of age or older.
posted by Scott on 6-8-2008 at 1:07 pm
What about the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA, a weekend of nothing but garlic. Everything from your typical garlic fries to yummy garlic ice cream and garlic infused wines. Normally a few hundred thousand people attend over a 4 day span. If you love garlic you must go, and the memories will last forever and the smell will last at least a week.
posted by Alan on 6-8-2008 at 1:08 pm
I like waffles
posted by Tim on 6-8-2008 at 1:14 pm
Michigan is the worst state ever.
posted by Captain Fartalot on 6-8-2008 at 1:25 pm
Here in my town, Bradford, PA, we have a leek festival every year. I’m suprised we haven’t really gotten any recognition because we have the International Outhouse Races here on that day.
posted by Stan on 6-8-2008 at 1:30 pm
Here in my town, Bradford, PA, we have a leek festival every year. I’m surprised we haven’t really gotten any recognition because we have the International Outhouse Races here on that day.
posted by Stan on 6-8-2008 at 1:32 pm
Here in Rhode Island (no, not Long Island, Rhode Island (the ocean state)….the smallest state in the union…) every August in Warren we have the Quahog Festival. For those of you who don’t know what quahogs are…they are a BIG clam. The most common way to eat them is to take out the quahog, chop it up with onions, celery, chourice, bread, butter and stuff the shells, bake it. yum yum!
posted by Denyse on 6-8-2008 at 1:34 pm
I think the main reason that they didn’t mention any of the rattlesnake roundups is because there are so many of them across the United States. I know for a fact that there is one in Opp, Alabama every year, and an old Army buddy of mine has mentioned going to a few in Texas every year. I am currently living in North Carolina and they have an annual Pig Pickin every year here… it’s basically a big BBQ festival where they cook a lot of pork and drown it with BBQ sauce and beer. So, there are a lot of great festivals all around… just check your local Chamber of Commerce to find out what’s going on.
posted by Matthew on 6-8-2008 at 1:50 pm
I like the Dirty Tube-sock Festival in Province Town…
posted by Sappa-champura on 6-8-2008 at 1:51 pm
Just this weekend in Collinsville Illinois we had the Horseradish festival. All sorts of sauces and condiments. And, oh, the Bloody Marys are great!
posted by Mike on 6-8-2008 at 1:52 pm
Notice how many oddball festivals are in Michigan? In Ohio we have strawberry festivals, watermelon festivals, corn festivals, ice cream festivals, etc. Michiganers…what a joke!
posted by Gary on 6-8-2008 at 2:02 pm
I second Alan’s comment – Gilroy’s garlic festival in California should be here!
posted by Iris on 6-8-2008 at 2:07 pm
Any festivals that don’t revolve around the consumption of meat? Even the Mushroom festival featured sausage pizza. Not bashing anyone’s choice, so I hope the less educated don’t bash my question. I’m inquiring because I’d like to see a veg*n festival. If it was close enough, I’d go…
posted by vegman on 6-8-2008 at 2:08 pm
how about the asparagus festival? hart, mi. weeklong celebration of asparagus…enough said.
posted by catherine on 6-8-2008 at 2:15 pm
Stockton CA has an Asparugus Festival with ripe smelling porta-potties “/ … everything food you could think of but with asparagus. Why does it turn your urine that fowl smell ??? hhmmm
posted by Tawny on 6-8-2008 at 2:15 pm
A pig-nut feed (pig testicles) on a Sunday near St Pats day at a place near Weston MO. And don’t leave out the “lutfisk” (Norwegian) eating contest in Decorah IA. Can’t miss them!
posted by gene on 6-8-2008 at 2:16 pm
Sears Catalog pages were used in outhouses for toilet paper. Everyone wanted to make sure they did not have to use the slick colored pages. The index pages worked the best.
posted by Theresa on 6-8-2008 at 2:25 pm
Honorable mention should go to the Slug Burger festival in McNairy County TN.
It’s not as gross as it sounds. It’s ground chicken and cornmeal.
posted by Tater on 6-8-2008 at 2:27 pm
Well, y’all haven’t seen it all until you come to South Carolina! June 14th is the Sweet Corn Festival, July the 4th is the Gilbert Peach Festival, but we also have two other Peach Festivals in Trenton and Gaffney in the month of June. The Watermelon Festival is in July in Pageland. The Pelion Peanut Party is in Mid-August. You can’t miss that one…..And, starting in the fall in September, is the Gaston Collard Festival, the Yemassee Shrimp Festival, and whatever you do, don’t miss the Okra Strut in Irmo, SC. In October, we have another Shrimp Festival in the Low Country in Beaufort, the Sweet Potato Festival in Darlington, the Loris Bog-Off for contestants to make their best Chicken Bog, the Apple Harvest Festival in the upstate, in York. November brings us the Catfish Festival in Society Hill, the Chitlin Strut, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Y’all come on and visit us. We’d love to have you!
posted by Amanda Collins on 6-8-2008 at 2:32 pm
@ Amanda Collins,
Well done mentioning the Irmo Okra Strutt. My parents live in Irmo and its a pretty big deal. I had never heard of the Chitlin Strut though.
posted by Harvey on 6-9-2008 at 11:35 am
Interesting that most of these festivals listed are located in my home state of Michigan…
posted by Krie on 6-12-2008 at 9:29 am
HA HA! I was just home (Lansing) and my parents were talking about going to the Gizzard festival in Potterville. Growing up, my mom used to always go to Lee’s Famous Recipe and she would buy my sister and I gizzards (I suspect they were a cheap menu item) and I remember liking them, but they were very chewy.
posted by Sarah on 6-14-2008 at 9:04 pm
omg, i moved to the panhandle of florida in late september. imagine my surprise when they started advertising the “boggy bayou mullet festival” in niceville, fl. apparently the mullet is a kind of bottom dwelling fish. dear lord, could we get any more down home?
google “mullet festival niceville, fl” and see what happens
posted by rowdie on 2-18-2009 at 11:06 am