2018 Hootin an Hollarin great outhouse race will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday


Elizabeth Morse, part of the 2017 Gainesville FCCLA outhouse race team, was the “rider” as the team headed toward the finish line. Other team members were Branetta McNece, Ryan Acklin, Tim Loach and adviser Betsy Ritchie.

For those who really need to go, the Hootin an Hollarin outhouse races fill a thrilling need. This one-of-a kind competition, which combines athleticism and laugh-invoking urgency, can be especially thrilling, given that spectators line the race course, and this racing vehicle, the ultimate in “portable” potties, has no brakes and no steering wheel! 

The runs start in front of City Hall. Teams head  to stop sign on the opposite of the square (making sure to “drive” past it), make a quick change of riders, and they bring ’er home for the victory. Or not.

 The 2018 race will be held right after the 5 p.m. bed races, and teams are encouraged to participate in both events. The outhouse races are expected to start around 5:30 p.m., and teams are asked to gather as the bed races are finishing. There’s no entry fee.

Teams can be made up of school, community or business groups, families, friends or strangers. You just need four pushers and a rider agile enough to hop off the pot halfway through the race and swap places with a pusher. 

Sturdy running shoes are recommended, as are creative team names – but race coordinator Paula Rose reminds teams  their name “must be something that can be announced to the crowd.” For details, call Paula at 989-1282 or meet her on the west side of the square in front of Molly’s Curl Up and Dye salon. Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded to the winners.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423