HEBRON — Behind the truck mud runs, the toilet seat ring tosses, the very wet T-shirt contest, lawsuits, crushed beer cans and camp smoke is the tranquil soul of Harold Brooks, founder of the Redneck Blank.
Formerly the Redneck Olympics, the name is an intentional slight to the International Olympic Committee, which has twice sued Brooks for using the Olympic moniker.
The games read like an extension of Brook’s moral code and slash through demographics as though they were superficial. Kinship is forged through through laughter, not money, he said.
“We all desire simplicity, because we realize the complexity didn’t do anything for us,” Brooks said.
In its fourth year, Brooks said the games are a chance for people of every stripe to shed hubris and enjoy the equalizing, liberating and above all, fun celebratory ode to simple pleasures. Last year the event featured a marriage and nuptial bliss kicked off with a jump into the mud pits.
The games have grown from their humble roots. National attention from “The Daily Show” and the History Channel has ensured that for at least one week a year the rural back roads swoon with the (often self-described) rednecks’ pilgrimage to the quiet bedroom community of 1,400.
Brook is expecting another record year. Attendance numbers in the thousands and has grown with publicity. Despite the influx of more and more people, Brooks is happy the games have retained an impromptu, decidedly nonhierarchical character. There are few problems and no fights.
“There’s only a few basic rules: Be respectful, decent,” he said.
This year’s games will be held from July 31 to Aug. 3 at the usual locale, 210 acres of Brooks’ own sprawling fields and pastures at 12 Harold Lane in Hebron. Advanced tickets are $5 dollars cheaper, but otherwise can be purchased at the gate for $50 for the weekend or $25 for a day.
Past attendees can expect the usual gamut of events, including the mud tug of war, greased watermelon run, wife haul and pickled-pig-feet bobbing. In response to popular demand, the mud runs will feature more passes.
Saturday is the biggest day and culminates in a pig roast. Sunday the event will wind down, though guests, as Brooks calls attendees, are encouraged to depart at their own pace.
Musicians this year include AC/DC cover band Back in Black, Boston-based rockers the Adam Ezra Group, Soul Mojo, Tina Kelly and several yet to be determined. While musicians are paid, most of the event is run by a network of volunteers.
“I never knew these people, and now we’re great friends. I’m blessed,” Brooks said.
Brooks is adamant that “redneck” is neither pejorative nor selective. Rednecks are everyone, from the well off to the struggling, from veterans to pacifists. The games draw all walks of life.
“People who try — the hippies, the rednecks, the working class. They’re all the same to me. People trying to have a good day and escape, so they wouldn’t have to worry about whether their job would be there the next day. It’s not about getting drunk — I don’t drink — it’s about having fun and being together.”
“Saying you’re not a redneck is like saying you don’t like fun.”
Tickets may be purchased at eventbrite.com or at the Village Trading Post in Minot at the intersection of Routes 119 and 124.
For more information, email redneckolympics@gmail.com, call 207-966-3333, or check out Facebook or the website at redneckmaine.com.
- Spectators line the popular mud run as Chuck Spears of Orange, Mass., negotiates the course during the Redneck “Blank” in Hebron in 2012.
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