Hootin an Hollarin bed race is Friday afternoon
Photo by Ed Doiron
When’s the last time you saw a bunch of runners pushing a bed down the road, lickety-split?
If you’re a regular Hootin an Hollarin visitor, you know it happens every year on the west side of the Gainesville square.
This sleep-defying spectacle, sponsored by the Gainesville PTO and open to those age 10 and older, begins at 5 p.m. Friday, SEPT. 19, when dream teams show their high-performance bed-pushing techniques – or model their creative nighttime attire and story lines.
Teams consist of five members (four pushers and a rider); the high-speed, super-sport racing bed is provided. No house slippers please! Organizers suggest participants wear sneakers or tennis shoes.
Teams start their nap, er, lap at the stop sign on the southwest side of the square and zzzzzzooom up Main Street to the finish line at City Hall. Bystanders are cautioned to stay well out of the way. The bed’s steering system is a nightmare (and nonexistent)!
Teams can choose to prioritize speed or to ham it up with costumes, dances and skits in the middle of their run to keep things lively and the crowd entertained. The more original, the better!
Cash prizes will be given to first, second and third place teams in the timed event, and another prize is awarded to the best-dressed team (for those who prefer to saunter down the street in dreamlike-style rather than run like crazy).
Chairperson Paula Rose appreciates pre-registration (417-989-1282), but it’s not mandatory.
Sign up forms are available at the Ozark County Times office. Entry is free. Last-minute entries are welcome.
Teams should gather on the southwest corner of the square in front of Molly’s Salon at 4:30 p.m. Friday before the 5 p.m. starting time.