About the Film
Rattlesnakes are hunted in the hills around Cross Fork, Pennsylvania and brought to the village where they are logged in and measured. The live snakes are displayed in an enclosure where local hunters demonstrate handling techniques for the festival goers. Part of the festival includes firemen’s contests held among volunteer fire companies from the nearby communities, a fair that has rattlesnake theme souvenirs for sale, and a greased pig chase and capture with the pig being the prize. The fair’s main attraction is a series of snake bagging contests, including children’s and women’s contests using non-poisonous snakes, where a given number of snakes are let loose in a pit for a handler and a bagger to capture. The team that successfully bags all the snakes in the least time, without getting bit, is declared the state bagging champion.
