The Redneck Games
Georgia’s Summer Redneck Games—which includes seed spitting and bobbing for pig’s feet—started as a joke but quickly became one of the biggest annual events in the area.
There was a short hiatus for a few years, but in 2023 they made a comeback, and it was nothing short of amazing.
Where & When
The Summer Redneck Games are held annually in East Dublin, Georgia, usually in July.
Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Family-Friendly
The Redneck Games are a, inclusive family-friendly event, welcoming people of all ages. There are even junior and youth prizes available for children who wish to participate in the games.
The Redneck Reputation
Depending on what region of the United States you come from, the term “redneck” is either an insult or a badge of honor. But everyone at this event is friendly, welcoming, and inclusive.
History
The games started in 1996 as a joke in response to media comments after Atlanta won the bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games. Some people said the event would be organized by a group of rednecks—so that’s what they did.
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The First Year
Organizers were expecting a small turnout of about 500 visitors at most, but word got out and more than 5,000 people showed up.
Making It an Annual Event
After the surprising outpour of support, and the immense amount of fun, visitors wanted it to become an annual event. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have attended.
Charity
The games may have started off as a joke, but the proceeds always went to children’s needs. All proceeds from the games are donated to local East Dublin charities like the East Dublin Lions Club.
Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Admission
Admission to the Summer Redneck Games is only $5 per car load—making it an affordable event for all to enjoy.
The Event
So, what exactly goes on at these Redneck Games? It’s everything you’d expect at a redneck party, but with an organized Olympic flare, including a torch-bearer, known athletes, trophies and champions.
The Torch-Bearer
The Summer Redneck Games are kicked off with the official torch-bearer—a local who goes by the name L-Bow and is the personification of this event, who lights a grill using the redneck torch, to signify the beginning of the games.
The Torch
L-Bow leads the parade of athletes with a propane torch decorated with aluminum from a 6 pack of Budweiser.
The Events
The Summer Redneck Games features a variety of ridiculous yet hilarious events that reinforce the media’s redneck stereotype. Anyone can participate.
Reneboiten, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Snacks
Food and drink at the festival are also mostly redneck themed, and include: corndogs, fluffy fries, elephant ears, and alligator kebabs—which are considered a delicacy.
The Dress Code
There is no specific dress code, but most participants dress in white tank tops, overalls, bikinis, or no shirt at all. By the end of the day, most are covered in mud.
The Grounds
The Redneck Games are held in Buckeye Park, which includes a big open sand pit—perfect for making mud—and visitors bring their ATVs and trucks ready for mud bogging.
Common Sights
You’ll often see truck beds made into pools, picnic tables on flatbeds pulled behind trucks, and various tent set-ups lining the festival.
Car Shows
Various classic cars are on display for car enthusiasts—but this also includes intriguing redneck vehicles that have been modified to suit the driver’s needs, and taste.
The Redneck Limo
Visitors can ride the redneck limo—a farm tractor that pulls people around the grounds.
The Medals
The main attraction at the games are the competitive events. The redneck champion of each event is awarded a very unique trophy—a half crushed empty mounted brew can.
The Smoke Flip
Contestants battle to see who can flip their smoke butts the highest and farthest.
The Hubcap Hurl
Exactly as it sounds, contestants see how far they can hurl a hubcap. The farthest hurl wins.
Bobbin’ for Pig’s Feet
Contestants dive their faces into plastic storage tubs of water to try and grab raw pig’s feet with their mouths. Whoever can get all 7-8 pigs feet out the fastest, wins.
Redneck Horseshoes
Similar to regular horseshoes, except people use toilet seats instead of contemporary horseshoes.
Armpit Serenades
Contestants serenade the crowd with tunes made from the fart sounds they can make using their armpits.
Armpit Serenades: 1998
In 1998, one contestant serenaded the crowd with the entire theme of the television show Green Acres.
Mud Pit Belly Flop Contest
The mud pit belly flop contest is one of the most popular events, where people compete to see who can perform the best belly flop into a massive mud pit.
Big Hair Contest
A contest to see who has the biggest hairstyles. Contestants plan for this in advance and show up with their hair big and ready to win.
Seed Spitting Contest
Contestants use watermelon seeds to see who can spit them the farthest. There are also various watermelon tossing contests, too.
Mullet Competition
Contestants show off their mullets, and the audience votes on the best one.
Bug Zapping by Spitball
Contestants spit bugs and spitballs into bug zappers—the person with the best aim wins.
Dumpster Diving
A dumpster is set up, filled with newspapers, paper cups, and other various pieces of trash. Contestants dive in and have to search for a specific item.
One year, the item to find was a gift certificate for a trip to the Bahamas.
Other Games
Other festival-like games include rubber tire hopscotch, cornhole, guessing games, drinking games, and obstacle courses.
Drinking
Aside from the Redneck themed games, the most popular thing that happens at this event is the drinking. There is no shortage of brew, and people come equipped with plenty of coolers to haul their stock pile around with them.
The River
The nearby Oconee River is where people go to wash off the mud and take a break from the hot summer heat. You’ll often see people floating their coolers and having chicken fights.
Closing Ceremonies
At the end of the day, a firetruck drives through the crowd with L-Bow riding atop with the torch held high. Fireworks fill the air and the crowd goes wild celebrating a successful event.
A Televised Event
Reporters and photographers from all over the country attend the event each year.
The games have received coverage from Good Morning America, Life, Maxim, MTV Road Rules/Real World Challenge, The Tonight Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC, and Fox.
Bidgee, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Other Cities Have Followed
With the success of Atlanta’s Redneck Games, other areas have followed suit and Redneck festivals are becoming a thing. Places like Florida, Maine, and Saskatchewan have all started similar Redneck Festivals.
Controversy
The Redneck Games in Georgia went on for 16 years with no issues. Participants were always known to be friendly and peaceful.
But in 2012, they turned into a mix of excessive drinking and trouble.
The End of the Games
At this point, organizers were pressured to cancel the event. In fact, the festival’s lead organizer, Randy Tidwell—also known as L-Bow—decided himself to get clean and take things in a new direction.
Redneckin’ 4 Jesus
After years of getting clean, Tidwell decided to reopen the Redneck Games in 2023, but with a new faith-based focus, changing its name to: Redneckin’ 4 Jesus.
The New Event
The new Redneck festival still keeps some old traditions, like the redneck competitions, but has made it a booze-free event, and a free event—with donations and proceeds from sponsorships going toward a church youth fund.
