I couldn't find a way to link to the original article or make it into a reasonably legible document, given my laziness and lack of ingenuity and the dullness of it all.  Going out to drink beer & torment lizards.

DODGING FANGS IS THEIR SPORT

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) - June 23, 1997

Author: MICHAEL RAPHAEL

At first, it looks as if the worst moment comes as five diamondback rattlesnakes slither out of the bag. Their rattles scream out, their fangs shine with the glint of poison.

But then the contestants, men and women who have actually paid to get into an 8-by-8-foot pit with these snakes, anger them even more, shoving the reptiles around from one corner to another with sticks until the rattle reaches an ear-numbing buzz.

And that truly looks like the worst until you realize that the contest - where teams of two try to shove the snakes back into the bag in a race against the clock - hasn't even begun.

For 10 years, snake lovers and snake haters have flocked here for the chance to test their luck against the poisonous rattlesnake. Proceeds from the charitable function benefit the local fire company.

Yesterday, seven teams were successful and this time the paramedics on standby had little more to do than watch.

Hundreds of spectators were bitten, though, by the thrill of the chase.

``It's a lot like going to a NASCAR race,'' said Don Kitko , 45, of Altoona. ``It's the same sort of expectation . . . like waiting for a crash.''

The contest is fairly simple. One teammate holds the bag, the other a stick to handle the snakes. Crowds lining the ring in makeshift bleachers fall silent as one by one, the snakes are snapped up and bagged.

There are few rules: keep the top of the bag above knee level, don't abuse the snakes, and make sure they go in tail first.

Any blood from a bite is a 3-second penalty.

Curwensville is one of four contests held in Pennsylvania each June. Top qualifiers at each event then compete in the state championships in Cross Forks.

Terry Wingard brought the competition to town a decade ago, raising about $400. Last year, organizers made close to $3,000. He's still proud of the event, which now also consists of a snake hunt in the woods near town and a flea market.

``I was looking for an exciting way to make money,'' he said. ``Every fire department has a circus or a carnival. And the truth is, we do have rattlesnakes here.''

Indeed, a major part of the two-day festival is the hunt, which begins Saturday morning and lasts until noon Sunday. Toby Kanouff of Phillipsburg won top prize in the size category with a 48-inch timber rattlesnake.

He and his uncle, Bob Couturiaux, who drove from Niagara Falls, N.Y., for the hunt, found theirs on a stretch of nearby Boggs Township. The snakes caught in the hunt are returned to the spot they were caught within 48 hours.

Couturiaux, 53, an icy can of Schmitts in his hand, said hunting rattlesnakes made him feel alive.

``Why do something sissy like, like play golf?'' he said. ``There's no challenge without the rattles. My little kids can pick up the little ones.''

They can, and did Saturday during the youth class bagging contest. Sixteen teams of kids bagged nonpoisonous snakes. The fastest group took just 15 seconds.

``That's always fun because a lot of kids get bit,'' said Edward Kukliskie, this year's organizer for the fire hall. ``And you know how jittery they can be.''

For yesterday's main event, though, the nonpoisonous snakes are removed and out-of-state rattlesnakes are brought in. Pennsylvania law prohibits handlers from using local rattlesnakes, so organizers bring in western diamondbacks from Oklahoma.

Bill Wheeler, Jr., president of the Pennsylvania Reptile Club and the so-called snake master, spent a week rounding up the rattlers, then carted them home - carefully.

He knows first hand how dangerous they can be; last year, he was bitten on a finger. His hand swelled up like a catcher's glove and the poison made it all the way to his hip.

``It was more pain that I ever felt in my entire life,'' he said, showing pictures of the finger, black and crusty then, now practically immobile. Wheeler lived through his bite - as most do. It's small children and those allergic that have the most to worry, he said.

Still, it's clear that handlers and contestants get bitten. Many members of the Reptile Club wear red patches celebrating their inauguration into the ``Sunken Fang Society.''

So why do they do it?

``Just because of what I feel right now,'' said Rory Bradley, 28, a foreman from Cresson. ``There's nothing else like it. I ain't done nothing today - no beer, no nothing. And I feel like I'm on a rocket ship.''

His partner, Mark Keith, had suffered a dry bite - no venom - just last week in Sinnemahoning and immediately left the ring. On Sunday, he was finally successful.

``It's (only) $5 to get in and $100 for cocaine,'' Keith said, he eyes dancing around. ``This is a whole lot cheaper.''

Last edited by sofaking (2009-06-11 14:35:23)