WEBVTT - What are the Best Fall Festivals in America? 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:04.560 I guess what will what's that mango? So in high 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:07.240 school I did research at the University of Delaware and 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:10.840 I hated it. So my dad is a scientist and 0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:13.680 he loves research, and I always thought I'd just fall 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.560 in love with research too. But my project was studying 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:20.040 moths and specifically seeing how baby moths react to different 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:22.280 types of light cycles. And I was not good at this. 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:24.640 I mean, just the fact that you called them baby moths. 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.880 I think it's proof of that that's true. But I 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:31.240 was also that because like, I wanted immediate results, and 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:33.440 that's not how that type of science works, right, Like 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.400 you're often waiting years for little discoveries. So I was 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:38.760 at the lab late one night kind of hating my 0:00:38.840 --> 0:00:41.600 life and thinking science isn't for me. And then I 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:44.040 saw a flyer on the wall across the way for 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:47.320 this mechanical engineering lab, and I had these pictures of 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:51.040 these excited engineers just building these giants, sling shots and 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.960 cannons for the punkin chunkin, that big festival that takes 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:56.360 place in Delaware, and they were just having so much fun. Yeah, 0:00:56.360 --> 0:00:58.959 that's the one where they shoot pumpkins across the field, right, 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.880 and and somehow that convinced you to become an engineer. 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:05.880 I mean, I think collecting weird facts is a better 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:09.280 career fit for me. I just remember thinking, it's fall 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:11.839 and leaves are beautiful, and I'm stuck in this lab 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:15.520 while these guys are giggling and loving pumpkins, and somehow, 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:17.880 as the weather gets Christmas years, I do think about 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:20.240 how lucky I am not to be stuck indoors. And 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:22.600 today's show is all about making the most of the 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:25.480 fall and coming up with the best weirdest fall travel 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:27.800 guy we could. So that's what we're doing today. Let's 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:51.880 dive in a their podcast. Listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:53.920 I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:56.200 good friend Man Gueshow Ticketer and on the other side 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:59.160 of the soundproof glass carving our faces and to a 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:01.760 massive pump. And have you seen this yet? I haven't. 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.240 That's our friends and producer Tristan McNeil, and I have 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:06.920 to say I'm a little bit conflicted watching this because, 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:09.720 on the one hand, I've never had my likeness portrayed 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:12.080 in gourd form, so I I guess I'm a little 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.760 bit flattered about this. But on the other hand, Tristan 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.959 is turning out to be really exacting as a carver, 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:20.960 and the accuracy I'm seeing here is more than a 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:23.240 little bit unsettling, to be honest with you. I mean, 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.440 he's exacting about everything, and I do feel like him 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:29.400 choosing us as subjects is flattering kind of. But I 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.320 also think it's gonna be weird having these ugly Jack 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:34.399 Lenners around for the rest of the month. It's gonna 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:36.840 be horrible, it's gonna be a little bit odd. Well, 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:38.920 if there's any upside to all of this, it's that 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:41.680 at least we now have some tangible proof that it's 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:45.200 really autumn here in Atlanta, where it's still eighties something 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:47.440 degrees at the moment, And because we need all the 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:49.440 reminders of the season we can get, we thought it'd 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:52.840 be fun to devote today's episode entirely to fall festivals. 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.079 But we're not talking about the typical events you see 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.959 this time of year, like October Fest or harvest carnivals. 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:00.720 Nothing against those those are always fun, but we're actually 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:02.880 gonna shine a spotlight on some of the truly unique 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.560 and unusual festivals that are taking place all across the 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.040 country right now. So many of these are happening like 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.600 this weekend or next weekend. And you know, because there 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:13.240 are just so many events to choose from, we decided 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.480 to lay out a few broad categories to guide us 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:17.720 and then kind of win our separate ways found one 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:20.040 or two examples of each and and so that's how 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.000 we'll be tackling this. So first up, we've got food festivals, Mango, 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.240 what's your what's your first pick for this one? So 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:28.399 I'm gonna go with the Giant Omelet celebration that takes 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:32.120 place in Abville, Louisiana, and it takes place during the 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:35.240 first weekend of November. And for this annual festival, more 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:38.520 than five thousand fresh eggs are carried through the streets 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:42.040 of town and then cracked into this enormous twelve foot 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:45.920 skillet right outside the courthouse. And from there a team 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:48.640 of international chefs they're known as the Confury I don't 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.520 know if I'm pronouncing that right, but Trinity in French. 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:55.560 And they add like fifteen pounds of crawfish tails, fifty 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:57.880 two pounds of butter, and a few other key ingredients 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:01.000 and then they whip up this giant Cajun omelet. So 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.520 who gets to eat this massive omelet? Everyone ever really 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:06.280 has to eat it. Yeah, so the chefs consider their 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.320 creation this omelet of friendship. So the whole thing is 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:11.600 dished out free of charge to anyone in attendance. And 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:16.080 there's even a six hundred egg junior omelet that I 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:18.680 guess aspiring people can cook up, and it's in a 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.640 four foot skillet right alongside the giant one, and it's 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:24.839 called the Children's omelet, and that's also handed out to 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:27.440 crowd and round again. How many eggs are in the 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:29.520 big one again? So the rule is you've got to 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.640 use five thousand eggs plus one extra egg for each 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:35.880 year the festival has been around. So it's been around since, 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:39.599 which means it was made from like five thousand, thirty 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.440 four eggs this year. Oh my gosh, believable. Well, the 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.200 whole thing sounds really fun and silly, and I'm guessing 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:47.760 the omelet taste delicious. I hope after this many years 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.520 they've actually gotten it down to a science. But um, 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.160 there's got to be a story to like how this started, 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:56.920 because it seems like a pretty specific way to celebrate. Yeah, 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.000 so this one actually has a great history behind it. 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:01.600 It goes back to when Napoleon and his army were 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:04.000 traveling through the south of France, and this was in 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.719 the early eight hundreds, and according to the legend, he 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:09.560 and his men were staying near this small town of 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:13.400 Bessier one night and uh Napoleon ended up eating an 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.120 omelet prepared by a local chef, and supposedly he liked 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:18.440 the dish so much that he ordered the townspeople to 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:20.920 gather up all the eggs in the town, by anyones 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.359 they could find, and cook a massive omelet for his 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:26.359 army to eat the next morning. And this actually became 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.440 a French tradition years later, like where towns would, I 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.800 guess prepare these big monster omelets to feed the poor 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:36.440 at Easter. And that's how Avil got got in on 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:38.599 this omelet act too, like like three members of the 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.880 town's chamber of commerce. They attended the festival and Bessier, 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:44.520 France in the early eighties, and they had so much 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:46.240 fun that they decided to bring the festival back to 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:49.880 their hometown. And now they're actually seven cities worldwide that 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:53.200 hosts their own omelet festivals, and representatives from each of 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:55.560 them gather in Louisiana each year to help prepare the 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:58.960 town's giant omelet. But if eating omelets isn't your thing, 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:01.880 there's still a lot of other on theme activities, including 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:04.760 both an egg toss and an egg cracking contest. Well, 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:06.839 that seems appropriate. You know, it's gonna be a tough 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:08.800 one to be because that does sound like a lot 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:11.599 of fun. So I feel like I need to show 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.560 a little state pride. I haven't mentioned Alabama and a 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:17.640 few episodes recently, so I'm gonna go with the National 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:21.320 Peanut Festival that's hosted each year in Dothan, Alabama. Now, 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:23.760 not to brag or anything, Mango, but did you know 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.120 that more than a quarter of the nation's peanuts are 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:29.479 grown within a one hundred mile radius of Dothan? Really, 0:06:29.560 --> 0:06:32.120 I, I I honestly did not know that. But I've got 0:06:32.120 --> 0:06:34.440 to say it does sound like you are bragging. I 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:37.400 am bragging because actually I didn't know that fact until 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:39.840 we started doing our research for this week's episode. But 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:43.240 maybe I should have known that. But anyway, Dothan builds 0:06:43.240 --> 0:06:46.000 itself as the peanut capital of the world, and that's 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:49.040 not a title we Alabamians take lightly because I mean 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.839 don't forget peanut farming basically saved Alabama's economy after the 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.120 Civil War, and that was actually true of a few 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:57.520 other Southern states as well. You may have heard this 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:00.800 story before, but you know, bowl weevils complete ealy decimated 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:04.000 the region's cotton crops during reconstruction, and you know, the 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:06.720 peanut turned out to be just the replacement cash crop 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.800 that the local farmers needed. So I I think I've 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:12.320 heard about this before. What was it George Washington Carver 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:15.000 who actually suggested that, Well, he definitely played a big 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:18.280 role in getting Southern farmers to switch to planting peanuts. 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:21.080 You know, in fact, when Dothan hosted its inaugural Peanut 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:24.440 Festival back in nineteen thirty eight, George Washington Carver was 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:26.680 actually the guest of honor there and there there's even 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.920 a statue of him in the town today. I love that. So, well, 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:31.600 what do you do at a peanut festival? And I 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:33.880 mean besides eating a lot of peanuts, You definitely eat 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:35.680 a lot of peanuts, but I mean you name it 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:39.119 like they there's live music, petting zoos, livestock shows, of course, 0:07:39.120 --> 0:07:42.480 a parade. There's even a beauty pageant. Where women from 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:46.080 all different peanut producing counties face off to see who 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:49.840 will be crowned Miss National Peanut Festival. As a matter 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:51.680 of fact, there's so much to do with the festival 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:54.000 that the three day event it started as in nineteen 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:57.480 thirty eight has grown into this sprawling ten day event 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:01.240 attended by more than two hundred thousand people. So just 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:03.760 keep this in mind. If you're in the area anytime 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:07.520 between November two and November eleven, swing by the festival 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:10.080 and go nuts, I guess, or you know, stay very 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:12.320 far away if you've got peanut allergies. Yeah, I guess 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:15.120 that makes sense. Um. I am actually glad you brought 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:18.160 up how peanuts saved the region because I found another 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:21.800 food with like a similar story. It's called the Boggy 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:25.480 Bayou Mullet Festival, and it's set to take place in Niceville, 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:29.040 Florida this year from October twenty one through. I love 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:31.640 that name, the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, And I do 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:33.760 think we should be clear here. Many people may not 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:36.480 know this. I think most people probably think of a 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:40.400 mullet as like the unfortunate hair style. But yeah, which 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.520 which Tristan. I think committed to for one of the 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:46.000 episodes we did about hair weeks ago. But anyway, that's 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:47.640 not what we're talking about here. We're not talking about 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:51.000 the hairstyle. Yeah, thankfully this has nothing to do with haircuts, 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:53.800 because the festival is actually a celebration of the mullet fish, 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:56.760 which are these small ray finned fish that live in 0:08:56.760 --> 0:08:59.360 warm waters all across the world. Yeah, and obviously that's 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:02.600 much better than eating hair. So during the Great Depression, 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:04.920 the town of Niceville, or Boggy Bayou as it was 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.080 called at the time, was single handedly saved by the 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.199 mullet fishing industry. So the fish were abundant in the 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:14.559 towns nearby bayous and it's not only kept the residents fed, 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:16.400 but it also gave them something to trade with the 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.720 neighboring farmers from Alabama. And of course a lot has 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.439 changed since then, so the town's got like a sunnier 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:25.240 name now it goes by Niceville, but the fish are 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:27.520 still the start of the show at this annual festival. 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:30.520 So since nine people from all over the South of 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:32.760 flocked to Niceville each fall for a weekend of live 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:35.880 music and mullet based cuisine, and while I can't claim 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.360 to have tried the fish myself. The word is that 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:41.480 it's especially tasty when it's smoked. So vendors at the 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.000 festival of actually all sorts of other preparations as you 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:47.000 can imagine, Like you can try baked, broiled, grilled, uh. 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:49.680 If you really want to indulge, there's a fried Italian 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.880 potato mullet, or you could go Hawaiian with the tropical 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:55.120 barbecue mullet. I like, how no matter what it is. 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:56.760 When you said fried, I was like, I'll try it. 0:09:57.240 --> 0:09:59.800 I'm into this. I mean, as tempting as that is. 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:01.840 I do think I found a food festival that gives 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.000 the old mullet fisher run for its money, and that's 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:07.800 West Virginia's famous road Kill cook Off. Now, this is 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:10.520 an event that takes place in the town called Marlington. 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:13.520 There and the local chefs actually compete to see who 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:16.920 can cook up the tastiest dish that are using animals 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.640 you'd likely see on the side of the road. So 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:22.080 this is a festival for anyone who's ever had a 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:25.920 hankering for exotic fair like squirrel gravy over biscuits or 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:31.000 fried venison wantons, or the ever popular tarayaki marinated bear. 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:35.160 What so people actually run down bears in West Virginia? 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.400 Have you ever been to West Virginia? I mean, actually, 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.280 that's that's the thing, like, an entry's main ingredient doesn't 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.680 have to be sourced from actual road kill, and the 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:45.560 website's rules mentioned that most of the judges would prefer 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:48.640 that it not be, but instead the only requirement is 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:50.960 that a dish's main ingredient has to be an animal 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:53.360 that often winds up on the side of the road 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.280 after being hit unfortunately by a car. So things like 0:10:56.360 --> 0:11:01.040 dear rabbit, possum, groundhog, snake, squirrel, or even bear, those 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:03.000 are all fair. I can't tell you how many bear 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:07.439 I've almost run over in my prius exactly. And I'm 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:09.480 sure the food is great in its own right, But 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:11.760 my favorite part of the festival is the way the 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:14.439 West Virginian is kind of poke fun at the stereotypes 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:17.400 that some people associate with their state. So, just as 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:19.880 an example of this, most competitors come up with these 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.000 really colorful names for their recipes, like just listen to 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.600 last year's winning top three hold I've got the list 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:29.200 here it says you've got finder fried fawn smothered in 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.960 vulture vomit that took third place. You've got hill Billy 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:36.199 Marty Gras alligator in turtle gumbo. I'd actually probably paste 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.400 that to be honest, that took second place. And then 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:42.560 this year's champion predator slash prey Chili, which was a 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:47.520 two fur made from both bear and venice. I mean, 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.000 I do like their sense of human But if those 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:52.520 are this year's winners, then I guess the festival is 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.560 already over. Yeah, that's true. It was a fun one 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:56.320 to talk about, but we did we did miss it. 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:58.800 It was the last Saturday in September. But there's always 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:00.720 next year. You need to plan add for these kinds 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:03.280 of events. But you know, as you know, if fall 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:06.120 just isn't the same for you without a little exotic 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:08.840 game in your life. I did find another festival that 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:11.720 might do the trick. Now. It's called the Innis Hunter's 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.160 Feet and it takes place in Innis, Montana, on October 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:18.120 nineteenth this year. Now, the event got to start thirty 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:20.480 three years ago. Mostly is away for the town's hunters 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:23.720 to clean out their freezers before the next season, and 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:26.240 in fact, the festival actually takes place every year on 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.720 the Friday before rifles season opens, which I'm sure you knew. 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:31.360 As soon as I said that, you were like, that's 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.400 right before rifles season. And while there's plenty to keep 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:38.640 people entertained, including bear spray demonstrations and bake sales, the 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:41.520 main event is a cooking competition to see who can 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:44.000 make the most creative dishes from wild game that's been 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:47.439 kept on ice since the last season. So I think 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:48.920 the question we all want to ask is do the 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.000 recipes have clever names like at the Roadkill Festival. I mean, 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:54.880 I wish they did, but unfortunately not, or at least 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:56.760 not as far as I could tell. But the dishes 0:12:56.800 --> 0:12:59.480 themselves do sound every bit as inventive as what they 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:02.160 cook up in West Virginia. So just looking at the 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:04.760 list here, you've got old standards like moose chili and 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:07.960 Elk fajitas. Then there's some of the fancy stuff like 0:13:08.080 --> 0:13:12.360 Mountain Lion Cordon Blue. Then lastly, for dessert, festivalgoers can 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:16.080 indulge themselves with some homemade moose brownies and a fresh 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:18.319 batch of deer fudge. Actually want to try both of 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.320 because I don't know if it's I guess it's made 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:23.000 of deer. I don't really know exactly what that means, 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:24.720 but it's on the list here. I should have looked 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:26.600 that up. But you know, once everybody's had their fill, 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.160 ballots are cast and trophies are awarded to the year's 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.560 best and most creative dishes. So it seems like a 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:33.760 fun one. Yeah, that does seem fun. So I think 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:36.400 we've covered enough weird food to last lifetime, So let's 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:38.400 move on to our next category. But first we should 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:58.400 take a quick break. You're listening to part time Genius, 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:00.319 so we're talking about the weirdest fall fest tools that 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.040 are actually worth the trip, all right, mango. So our 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:07.520 next category was animal based festivals where you don't ep ms. Right, 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:09.480 isn't that what we agree on? All right? So I'm 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:10.959 curious what did you come up with for that one. 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.680 So there's another Louisiana event that I want to talk about. 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:16.839 It's called the Angola Prison Rodeo and it's held a 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:19.960 rear in the town of St. Francisville in the fall. 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:22.480 And we might have mentioned this on a previous episode, 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:25.120 but it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a rodeo 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:29.480 put on by the inmates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Like, 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:30.960 how does that happen? Is this some sort of like 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:33.800 cowboy jail or something. I mean, if they have real 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:36.600 prisoners out there riding bulls and racing horses, is that 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.040 what's happening. Yeah, so they do all the stuff that 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:41.120 you'd see it in normal rodeo, But as far as 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.600 I can tell, none of the performers had rodeo experience 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.480 prior to go into prison. The event was first held 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.240 in I believe, and it was really just a way 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.040 to entertain the inmates and the prison employees. In fact, 0:14:52.080 --> 0:14:55.000 the rodeo wasn't open to the public until two years later, 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:58.200 and even then, spectators had to sit on apple crates 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:00.680 or the hoods of their cars because there weren't stands yet. 0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:03.760 I'm assuming that's changed by now. And do you have 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:06.240 to go to the actual prison to watch the rodeo? 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.480 So not anymore. The event was actually so successful once 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:12.920 it went public that the organizers invested in this seat 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:15.760 arena and they opened it for the first time for 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:19.000 the rodeo. And this is kind of random, but I've 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:21.680 read that the bleachers actually collapsed during one of the shows. 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.760 That year, but the crowd was so engrossed that most 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:26.560 people didn't even get up. They just sat on the 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:30.960 collapsed bleachers and kept watching. Must be some show, yeah, 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:32.840 I mean I was checking out the rundown of events, 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:35.520 and some of them are super wild. So one of 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.400 the newer ones to be added to the program is 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.600 chariot racing, but in so standing in an actual chariot 0:15:40.640 --> 0:15:43.320 with wheels on it, contestants just mount a sled that's 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.480 attached to a horse and rider, and so then they're 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:48.520 pulled at top speeds all across the arena, and the 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:51.120 whole time, each of the sled riders is holding a 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:54.040 picture of water, and whoever measures to hold on the 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.560 longest and spilled at least water is the winner. Okay, 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:59.840 that sounds fun actually, but if races aren't your thing. 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:03.000 It's also this event called the wild Cow Milking, And 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:04.520 as you might have guess, this is where teams of 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:07.280 inmates cowboys, they start chasing cows all around the arena 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:09.880 while trying to milk them, and the first team to 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:11.920 bring milk to the judge is the one that wins. 0:16:13.280 --> 0:16:15.040 That one does not sound as fun to me, to 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:17.680 be honest, but but it does sound interesting, But what 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:19.920 about the more dangerous stuff that you see at rodeo, 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:21.240 is like trying to stay on the back of a 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.200 bucking bronco or getting chased by a bull, Like, can 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:25.600 they do any of that or is it a a little 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:28.320 too dangerous for the you know, I guess they're untrained prisoners. 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:31.320 So the inmates aren't actually untrained. The whole event is 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.360 overseen by rodeo professionals who helped coordinate the stunts, and 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:37.600 they step in if things get hairy. And as for 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:40.840 dangerous stunts, like the prison rodeo has so many of those, 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:43.200 it's crazy. Like the strangers is probably what they called 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:46.840 convict poker, and according to the rodeo's website, this is 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.640 the ultimate poker game where every winning hand has a 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.800 price and four inmate cowboys will sit at a table 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:54.320 in the middle of the arena and they're playing this 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:57.280 friendly game of poker and suddenly a wild bull charges in. 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:00.200 The sole purpose is to knock the players out of 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.560 the season. The last man remaining seated is the winner 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:06.040 is an idiot. I mean, if that's not wild enough 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:07.720 for you, you've got to stick around for the last 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:10.080 event of the day. It's called Guts and Glory, and 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.320 the object is for an inmate to get close enough 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:14.760 to the biggest, meanest bull in the show in order 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:17.119 to snatch a poker tip that's been tied to its horn. 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.840 It is really mind blowing. Oh my gosh, we would 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:22.320 be so bad at this. It sounds just so nerve wrack. 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:24.120 I don't even think I could watch this, much less 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:26.239 participate in it. Yeah, so this is probably a good 0:17:26.280 --> 0:17:29.639 time to mention that participation in the rodeo is completely voluntary, 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:31.959 So this is an excuse to like abuse or exploit 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:33.919 inmates or anything like that. And in fact, all of 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:36.400 the profits from the rodeo goes straight into the prisons 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.119 inmate well for a front which pays for their educational 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:42.679 and recreational supplies. And so if this sounds fun to 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:45.960 anyone listening, the prison rodeo takes place every Sunday in October. 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:47.919 So if you're going to be in town for that 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:50.720 giant Omelet celebration the first weekend of November, like, why 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:52.320 not get there a few days early check this one 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:55.200 out too. And aside from the rodeo itself, there are 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:58.040 lots of arts and crafts and livestock demonstrations as well. 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:01.120 It does seem like something forever buddy, all right, well, 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:03.680 my Animals We Don't Eat festival is a bit more 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:06.120 subdued than a prison rodeo, but don't worry, it still 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:09.280 has a thrilling white knuckle race. Now. It's called the 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:11.840 Wooly Worm Festival, and it's held each year in late 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:15.160 October in Banner Elk, North Carolina. And you can probably 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:17.720 tell from the name the entire festival is centered on 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:21.000 wooly worms or wooly bears if you're from the Midwest 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:23.320 or New England or and those are the fuzzy, brown 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:25.760 and black caterpillars that you see around this time of year, right, 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:28.720 that's exactly them. Well, the bonus points for remembering that 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:32.000 wooly worms aren't actually worms at all, like you said, 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:35.080 they're caterpillars, and the ones that survived till spring will 0:18:35.080 --> 0:18:38.480 eventually become Isabella tiger moss. But if you ask me, 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.160 these guys are a lot more interesting as caterpillars. And 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:45.159 that's because wooly worms supposedly have the ability to predict weather. 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:49.080 According to regional folklore, the thirteen segments of a wooly 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.879 worms body correspond to the thirteen weeks of winter. So 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:55.680 the lighter a brown segment is the milder that week 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:58.520 of winter will be, and the darker a black segment 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.440 is the colder and snowy that corresponding week will be. 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:03.880 I thought that was just so funny. So they're basically 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:07.520 the groundhogs of the insect kingdom, Yeah, except even more complicated. 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:10.080 That's that's pretty cool. I mean, punks and tani pill 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:11.760 I feel like, better step up his game and he 0:19:11.800 --> 0:19:13.960 wants to be this interesting. But there's a catch to 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.680 predicting the weather with wooly worms, though, because you have 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.199 to study the stripes to discern the weather patterns. But 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:22.200