From Cow Chips to Rattlesnakes, States Do Their Own Thing

on Mar 7, 2026

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By Victor Block

In 1879 a fur-trading post was established along the Beaver River in what 28 years later would become the state of Oklahoma. Over time, people in the community began to provide support for cattle ranchers who were beginning to move into the area. Today that chapter of history provides the backdrop for an annual event that combines home-grown pride with a rather oddball sense of humor.

That occasion is the World Cow Chip Throwing Championship in Beaver. Competitors in this unique event hurl dried cow dung, hoping to achieve the longest toss and even, perhaps, to exceed the world record fling of 185 feet. Adding to the revelry are a parade, concert, carnival and chili cookoff.

This unusual occurrence is but one among a number of state traditions that combine athleticism, a competitive spirit and often a lot of laughs. Some, like that dung heave, have a close connection with the local history. Others were born from a creative -- sometimes rather irreverent -- imagination.

It is cow bells that hold an honored place in in the lore of Mississippi State University. According to that school's legend, during a football game that took place in the distant past, a Jersey cow showed up and strolled across the field. When the host team went on to win the game, the meandering bovine was seen as a good omen, and ringing cow bells for luck became a treasured tradition that continues to this day.

A chicken is the star of an annual do in Fruita, Colorado, a suburb of Grand Junction. Each spring people gather there to take part in activities that recall -- and honor -- Mike, the Headless Chicken.

The genesis of that famous fowl's story had to do with preparations by a young couple in 1945 to prepare a chicken dinner. After the husband struck a hen in the neck with an ax, the dinner entree was able to stagger around the yard and then continue to live for another 18 months. During that time, the pullet was toured around the country and introduced to bewildered crowds as "The Headless Wonder Chicken." Among activities at the annual festival recalling that strange historical tidbit are a chicken dance and wing-eating contest.

Other foods are consumed and celebrated elsewhere. People gather each year in the lush dairy heartland of Wisconsin to pay homage to a popular staple which is made from coagulated milk. That's only natural since Wisconsin produces more types and flavors of cheese than anywhere else in the world. In fact, among its nicknames are Cheese State and Dairy State, and residents often are referred to by themselves and others as "Cheeseheads."

One way Wisconsinites use cheese is to chase a wheel of it as it rolls down a hill. The contestant who first reaches and catches the revolving edible is declared the winner and receives it as the coveted prize. Cheese-rolling is believed to have had its start in England in the early 1800s. Historians tell us that it began as either an imaginative way to applaud the arrival of spring or a pagan fertility rite.

Slithering rather than rolling takes place during the annual Texas Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas. The Lone Star State's diverse landscapes provide favorable conditions for six species of rattlers to flourish, including large western diamondbacks and elusive rock rattlesnakes. Among activities during this rattler rally are recognition of the largest serpent, rattlesnake parade and snake-eating contest.

Very different from the dry habitats favored by snakes is the environment in which scuba divers carve pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns. Around Halloween each year, swimmers plunge into the chilly depths of one of New York's Finger Lakes carrying knives and pumpkins. When they reach bottom, they get to work transforming the winter squashes into jack-o'-lanterns. Entry fees for the carving contest go toward helping to preserve the tall ships and barges that lie preserved on the lake floor after being sunk by storms or accidents.

When they return to dry land, some divers seek the warmth of a heavy blanket -- but not the kind made of walrus hides that are used in the Alaska Blanket Toss. That tradition pays homage to native Inuit people who would bounce someone up in the air so as to provide a good view over hunting terrain or to spot whales that have served as a vital food source for millennia.

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WHEN YOU GO

travelok.com

msstate.edu

miketheheadlesschicken.org

wisconsincheeseplease.com

rattlesnakeroundup.net

bluedolphindiveshop.com

fingerlakesconnected.com

Victor Block is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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