But in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, you'll find no red faces. Just proud rednecks.
"It's a little redneck, but we love it, we accept it, we admit and we enjoy it," said Brett Moravitz, a self-proclaimed redneck.
The event resembled a demolition derby or NASCAR race. But honestly, those events would feel like the opera compared with what's really happened.
"This is pretty much a redneck car launch," said Mark Hubbard. "Don't get no better."
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon last weekend, more than 300 people gathered at Moravitz Excavating to watch old cars race down a runway, launch into the air and crash into a gravel pit. It's the brainchild of Bob Moravitz.
"You don't get to do this kind-of stuff very often," he said. "I mean, destruction of a car that really isn't worth nothing anyway. So let's just wreck it."
Instead of "Cash for Clunkers," you could call it "Crash for Clunkers." While it may not stimulate the economy, it sure stimulated his friends and neighbors.
"It's great family entertainment," said Lisa Halverson. "Cheap family entertainment."
Moravitz didn't charge for admission, but he did collect donations, which covered the $1300 he put down for insurance.
The idea was inspired last year by boredom and a strong desire to drive something off of a cliff. So Bob's son Rick and his buddy Jake figured out a way to turn big cars into remote-controlled toys.
Using a remote and several devices that were installed in each car, they were able to control the throttle and steering. But they can't make the cars stop, so they dug trenches along the runway to stop the cars, in case they veered off course.
After releasing the brake, Rick and Jake followed close behind on a four-wheeler, controlling the speed and direction all the way up to takeoff.
They didn't just launch cars. They also sent a camper that was hauling a boat and a pickup that was pulling a round baler. But the biggest attraction had to be the two airborne school buses, which brought spectators to their feet.
"My class reunion is today and I'm skipping it to come here," Kate Davison said.
After eight hours, the car launch finally comes to a close, prompting organizers to take a redneck bow — they mooned the audience. How else would you end a redneck car launch?
1 comment:
that was great, I wish we had something like that around here.
a redneck sooolute to you
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