I always thought those movies about small towns were exaggerated. Quaint neighborhoods surrounded by cornfields, where everyone knows each other. Towns where the local kids drive trucks, drink bud light, and hang out in the parking lot of the local Walmart. Obscure Stars Hollow-esque festivals where every single member of the town shows up.
I was in for a rude awakening.
John’s family is from southeastern South Dakota, where he spent many of his summers growing up. His grandmother, aunt, and cousin live in the adorable town of Viborg, SD, population ~800, so we came to visit for a few days. Although we missed Viborg’s biggest festival of the summer – Danish Days – we were blessed with the “Hot Hurley Nights” celebration in the neighboring town of Hurley, population ~400. Although we missed some events – such as the tractor pull, the beanbag tournament, the ice cream social, and the poker run – I doubt anything can top the burnout contest we witnessed on our first night.
People competed to see who could burnout their back tires the most while spectators swarmed the area, standing atop risers and trucks. Over 30 competitors revved their engines and destroyed their brakes, tires, transmissions, etc, in an effort to create the most smoke in an allotted time, while the entire Hurley fire department stood nearby.
One competitor brought a girl in his passenger seat for their first date, another souped up his truck to shoot flames, and a third had a vehicle so damaged that it looked like a wrecking ball had been dropped on his trunk. My favorite, though, was a fourteen year old drinking a beer – legally – as the driving age there is 14, his mom gave him the beer, and he was on private property.
A truck participating in the burnout contest
Spectators watching the burnout contest
The remains of the burnout contest
That evening, the main street (practically the only street) of Hurley was packed with more people than the entire population of the town, and naturally, 95% of them were drinking bud light. Way to prove the stereotypes true, people.
The next morning, John and I woke up bright and early to compete in a 5k. We briefly thought we might run the risk of being the only competitors, but at least 100 people had also woken up to participate. They all know each other, so we had people asking us if we were new in town within minutes of our arrival. Our goal was to get in the local paper, and the fact that we each won our age divisions make it a distinct possibility. I hope they aren’t upset that a couple of outsiders robbed some locals out of a win.
John and I celebrating our victories
We finished up our visit by watching the local parade, which contained fire trucks, cop cars, oilers, airplanes, and lots and lots of tractors. I strategically placed myself near a group of children so that the candy throwers would be more likely to toss in my direction. There shouldn’t be an age limit on free candy. Maybe later this year, I’ll go trick-or-treating.
A small portion of the tractors in the parade
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