They weren’t bringing in rattlesnakes that they’d found out in fields or carting in live gopher tortoises to race — but they were having old-fashioned fun at the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run.
Kids scaled up rock walls, people had close encounters with alligators and bands played continuously.
The festival, held in San Antonio’s City Park, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a two-day event, on Oct. 15 and Oct. 16.
Taylor Weiss, of New Port Richey, makes her way up the rock wall.
It was a hit.
It’s hard to get actual numbers, since there’s no admission charge, but Betty Burke, chairwoman of the organizing committee, estimated attendance at between 7,000 and 8,000 people.
“My goodness, it was fantastic,” said Burke, a member of the Rotary Club of San Antonio, which put on the event.
There were lots of kids, she said. And, “there were dogs everywhere.”
People seemed to be enjoying themselves, said Burke, noting she was “very happy” with the way things turned out.
“Croc Encounters — that was real popular,” the chairwoman said. “Everybody loved the music,” she added.
Besides listening to bands, festivalgoers could get a bite to eat, pose for a picture in the pumpkin patch, or do a bit of shopping.
There were barrel train rides, a bounce house, a rattlesnake run, and wooden gopher tortoise races — a perennial hit at the event.
The festival is the primary fundraiser for the Rotary Club of San Antonio. Proceeds support local scholarships, community projects and international Rotary projects, such as Polio Plus. The event is partially funded by Visit Pasco Tourism and Visit Florida. Area businesses, community members and sponsors, including The Laker/Lutz News, also support the event.
Published Oct. 19, 2016
