After a dedication of the new gazebo in the Weissport Park and a big Redneck thank you to the sponsors who helped support the building the gazebo, the Weissport Redneck Festival was in full swing on Saturday, with plenty of audience participation contests, great food, and great live entertainment.

The festival was held for two days in the town square of Weissport, or better know as "Redneck Central."The Zimmies and Hot Wings Eating Cook-Off Contest opened the festival to allow participants to taste just who has the best wings in Carbon County. Vying for the title of Rednecks Best Wings were five restaurants, Marios, Weissport (2011 winners); Palmerton Hotel, Trainer's Inn, Franklin Township; Blue Mountain Pub, Palmerton (2011 winners) and the Boat Yard Bar and Grill, (Franklin Township).After tasting each of the entries, the score sheets were tallied with the Boat Yard Bar and Grill, which is just over the border, announced as the first place winner.Ty Poole, owner of the Boat Yard Bar and Grill, said that his entry wings were covered in a honey and hot sauce that he has perfected."I have wing night every Monday and I am proud of my sauces," he said. Poole was a late entry into the competition, but as Duane Dellecker said, "the more entries the better." Dellecker, in true Redneck fashion, said that the Redneck Committee which organizes the event has no president or chairman, but he admits to taking the lead most of the time.During the afternoon, the "Rednecks Got Talent," entertained the crowd with karaoke contests, and then the Redneck competition began again with the Ugliest Pickup Contest, where local boys bring their battered and beaten pickups for judging. The trucks must be licensed and inspected, so they must be road worthy. Harry Rhodes of Walnutport won that contest.The Korniest Couple Contest featured a panel of local and out-of-town couples vying for hotel stays in a "couple contest," and then was the "I Luv My Mummy Contest," where contestants wrapped toilet paper around each other in the fastest time.Saturday's events were capped off with the Mr. Redneck Contest and Miss Daisy Duke Contest. Winning the Mr. Redneck Contest was Gary Reed of Lehighton and Miss Daisy Duke was Taylor Patterson, also of Lehighton. With seven girls taking part in the contest, it was hard for the panel of judges to make a decision as to which girl would win.Sunday's events opened with the Watermelon Eating Contest for youngsters and adults. The second event was a Big Wheel Contest for kiddies. Bringing out the crowd was Chariot Race, where teams of two raced toilets on wheels down the center of the street. Winning that contest was the team of George Tessitore of Lansford and Lee Thear of Nesquehoning.In the next competition, the Lawn Tractor Polo event, the local Weissport boy, Derrick Berger, lost to Gary Reed of Lehighton, who had also won Mr. Redneck competition. In this competition, lawn tractor drivers pushed a 50 gallon drum filled with water from one end of the street to the other.The Tug-a-War competition proved that making pizzas makes you strong when the Alfies Pizzas guys won the competition beating out contractors and body builders for the top prize. The Alfies team has won the competition every time they enter.The Bedknobs and Rednecks Bed Race featured seven teams of people pushing beds on wheels down the center of the street to raise funds for Family Promise homeless shelter. In this contest, St. Matthew Church team won the People's Choice award for the Best Redneck theme and taking first place was Krazy Kayak team representing Dinkey Church pushing a kayak on wheels. Second place was Christ Lutheran Church team and third place was Dinkey Church team.The final contest for the event was the Best Rack Contest where men displayed their best deer racks and ladies displayed their "dear" rack. Entertainment at the festival was provided by T. Bag and the Creamers and Final Justice.