Fundraising: The Redneck Games Fundraiser

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Update.com

With the popularity of Jeff Foxworthy's comedy routine, "You know you're a redneck, if..." and television shows like "The Trailer Park Boys," rednecks are all the rage.

And that provides a fundraising opportunity for your school or team. Why not host a "Redneck Games." It's a field day with a difference and is an excellent fundraising idea for a school, or at a larger level, a small community.

Organization
Participants dress up like rednecks and take part in redneck-related activities such as the hubcap toss; mud pit belly flop contest; bobbing for pigs feet; mud pit slip-and-slide; mud pit tug-of-war; redneck horseshoes using toilet seats; the armpit serenade contest; greased pig catching; and redneck surfing, in which a participant stands on a mattress while being pulled through a mud pit by an all terrain vehicle.

How to Raise Money
People buy tickets to enter the site. For example, $5.00 per person or $20 per family. You might also charge a small fee to participate in activities and have the chance to win prizes (donated, of course). For example a $10 fee for each tug-of-war team or a buck to participate in the toilet seat horseshoes contest.

Another fundraising model is to make the event free, but ask for donations for a large, donated draw prize, such as a weekend trip.

If you want a larger scale fundraiser, you can solicit sponsors for each of the contests. Sponsors pay a fee, provide prizes, then get their name attached to the event. For example, the "Smith Motors Mud Pit Slide." You can also charge vendors to set up food and merchandise stalls and even bring in musical performers and comedians who will charge a fee for entrance to their performing venue.

Examples
If you're looking for an example of a large-scale Redneck Games, check out the website of the Minto, Ontario games. It was voted Ontario's "Best New Festival" in 2007.
http://www.canadianredneckgames.ca

On a slightly smaller scale, the town of Nairn Centre, Ontario, held their first Redneck Games this year and raised $5,000 for a worthy cause. They held a free event in which donations for a draw prize were requested, and additional money was raised through a barbecue and spaghetti supper.
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1158530

Reference:
1. Andrew Low, "Nairn shows off Hick Heritage," The Sudbury Star, August 23, 2008. http://www.thesudburystar.com
2. Town of Minto Canadian Redneck Games website, 2008.
http://canadianredneckgames.com

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