What began as a fun idea to raise money for the community has morphed into a decadelong attraction in Weissport.

Sponsored by the Weissport Recreation Committee, the 10th annual Redneck Festival will be held Labor Day weekend in the borough park.The event will run from 5-10 p.m. Friday, and noon to 9 or 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.It will once again feature food and craft vendors, according to events coordinator Duane Dellecker."We're very excited for our 10th anniversary," Dellecker said. "We're proud of everything we accomplished."It gets underway Friday with entertainment from The Redneck Karaoke Entertainer, with special guests The Hawks. There will also be a Big Redneck Chinese Auction. Open Mike Night will be from 5-10 p.m.Saturday will feature multiple contests, such as the Zimmie's Slushy Drinking Contest, the 10th Anniversary Dedication on the main stage, Korniest Couple Contest, Redneck Bean Bag Contest, Best Beard Contest, Mr. Redneck Contest, and Daisy Duke Contest. Entertainment will be provided courtesy of Banned From the Ranch Country Rock from 5:30-10 p.m.Sunday will see more competitions like the Watermelon Eating Contest; Big Wheel Contest; Milking Contest; Chariot Race (Redneck style); and Best Rack Contest. The Redneck Chinese Auction ends at 7 p.m.In honor of its special anniversary, there will be a new contest at the festival in the form of the Redneck Wet T-shirt and Boxer Short Contest.Sign-ups for the events are held at the information tent. Registration for events closes about 15 minutes before the event.It's fun-hearted competitions such as this that enables the festival to maintain its uniqueness, Dellecker said."We've created the craziest contests just to have fun," he said. "We've created an equation for success that works."There will also be kiddie ride specials from 5-9 p.m. Friday ($15); noon to 2 p.m. Saturday ($12); and 7-9 p.m. Sunday ($12).The festival will be held rain or shine. No pets are allowed, except for service animals.Dellecker said there's tons of parking for the event, but that the key is getting people to participate in the contests."It's a unique festival, and that's why the people come out to see what type of crazy nonsense we're going to come up with next," he said. "We have a lot of fun. We're not going to change things for anybody."