CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER TIMES (Texas) 21 March 05 Rattlers snake their way to wins - Annual races help raise money for Old San Patricio (Jaime Powell)
Old San Patricio: Twenty dollars rents a racing rattler, a loaner pair of snake leggings, a snake racing pole and your very own snake handler to guard your body against some unhappy rattler should your snake pull ahead of others in a race.
This weekend's Rattlesnake Races contest, sponsored by the San Patricio Restoration Society, was held to raise funds for the local museum and for general historical restoration in Old San Patricio, which was founded in 1830 before Texas became a republic, said James Dulaney, the society's president.
The event usually makes between $10,000 and $30,000, and the snakes are the big draw, he said.
Being a champion at the World Championship Rattlesnake Races usually means a combination of shaking the grass around your snake with your 6-foot plastic pole and getting a snake willing to haul his scales over the 80 feet to the finish line.
"It's the ones that move around constantly that will race," said Buddy Campbell, a snake handler for more than 30 years. "If they are big and mean, all they want to do is curl up and fight and bite."
It's also, believe it or not, looking for a gentle snake that is quite willing to crawl away from his contestant - a snake that does not get rattled when it has human company, he said.
"They have personalities kind of like humans," Campbell said. "Some are kind of laid back and some, no matter what you do, well, they'll kill you."
After two days of snake racing heats at the 33rd annual snake races, the snakes get loaded back into their travelling boxes and head home to West Texas, said Don Bennett who brought the truckload of snakes from his home in Colorado City.
Handlers can earn a trophy for the overall champion snake.
Before the races Sunday, more than 200 snakes curled, slithered and rattled in a wooden snake enclosure, while Campbell and his son Beau, 25, walked around nonchalantly.
Beau, who has been handling the snakes for five years, held a 6-footer, being careful to control the biting end.
"I've got the business end - you can touch the tail," he said, lifting the snake toward a woman, who jumped backward.
Bennett stood watching nearby as Beau Campbell opened the snake's mouth to show the fangs, glistening with venom.
"We try to educate," Bennett said. "They are not as dangerous as people think, but they will sure hurt you. We try to teach people what to do if they run into one. If you stand still he won't bite. He'll bite motion. You might get bitten if you try to kill him. And if you are going to do that, get a shotgun or a long hoe - otherwise leave them alone."
Both Buddy Campbell and Bennett have been bitten and admit it is extremely unpleasant.
"I've been nicked a couple of times," Bennett said, rolling up his sleeve to show the nasty war wounds he has gained while handling rattlers for 40 years. "It makes you mighty sick, and it can take you three to six months to get over it."
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Rattlers snake their way to wins

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