By Rachel Gearhart Every June, the tiny town of Sinnemahoning, Pennsylvania (population 132), hosts a rattlesnake hunt.
Surprisingly (or perhaps not), this annual event attracts thousands of people, and awards are given for the heaviest rattlesnakes captured. (Last year, the biggest timber rattlesnake was 54 inches long and weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces.)
My dad, who grew up just a few towns over, used to tell me stories about how competitors would inject themselves with rattlesnake venom to build up a tolerance in preparation for the big hunt.
But this year, the hunt was called off.
COVID-19 made it too risky for thousands to crowd the streets …read more
