Customer Reviews

America Bizarro: A Guide to Freaky Festivals, Groovy Gatherings, Kooky Contests, and Other Strange Happenings Across the USA

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Mr. Taylor takes us for a walk on the wild side in this guide to the off kilter, out of hand and off the beaten path fests, events and happenings. Wondered if America really was as strange as you suspected? Wonder no more. Organized by state, America Bizarro is... well, Think Tom Robbin's Another Roadside Attraction meets that outrageous show from the 1970s - Real People. This Book is for everyone who just can't stomach one more summer roadtrip to overrated, overdone and overpriced attractions. Hell, the Big Mouse down South doesn't need any more of your hard earned money... so get a copy of America Bizarro and start checking out the freaks, geeks and charming underbelly of the land of the free to be you and me.

I just received this book as a gift and I'm a little disappointed. It does have some weird events to visit and I'll be putting most of them on my TO DO list, but I guess the book itself wasn't what I expected and seems somewhat limited. I really like Roadside America just because it has absolutely SO MUCH stuff to see and do. I like this book and I'll use it in my crazy travels, but I'm not as excited about it as I was when I read the other reviews and put it on my wishlist.

This book is getting a little dated - however it is still a great resource for those wacky Americians who will put on a show for a nickle or a dime. I have read it twice and appreciate the author's attempt at covering an ever growing awareness of out wonderful Country - the U.S. OF A. - this book makes me proud to be and Americian.

"America Bizarro" is a fun, if now somewhat outdated, book on peculiar gatherings, events, and festivals across this great country of ours. It is nowhere near comprehensive, but does highlight some of the more unusual happenings in a state-by-state manner. I liked the alphabetical organization by state, as I have seen books organized in other ways which makes it nearly impossible to find things.

To appreciate the book you just have to dig in and start looking for oddball gatherings that might interest you. One that caught my fancy was the frightening specter of a Carnie Trade Show (how scary is that?) If you are more seriously-minded and still want to go to a trade show, perhaps a visit to Manitou Springs, Colorado to attend the "Society for Commercial Archeology Conference" (if you stay a while you can also attend the "Emma Crawford Coffin Festival) would be appropriate. For those who prefer sport, perhaps a trip to Mendotta, Illinois to attend the "STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Races" would do the trick (or perhaps Louisville, Kentucky's "Running of the Rodents" would be preferable.) If you are into collecting maybe the "Kansas Barbed Wire Swap" or the "Rathcamp Matchcover Society Convention" would be a hit. If that's not your cup of tea, might I suggest the "Ugly Truck Contest" in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. (I've been there. Some of the trucks are quite ugly.) For people who want to live on the edge, perhaps Laurel, Mississippi's "National Anvil Shooting Contest" is for you. (Watch out for ricochets.) If you are into cuisine, you are well-represented here, too. Why not go to Brady, Texas for the "World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off?" And finally for those into architectural tourism, I recommend a trek to Galveston for the "American Institute of Architects Sandcastle Competition."

These are just some of the many offbeat and wonderful events you can attend and the descriptions are nicely written, although if you really want to attend you will need to do research on your own as the book is rarely more precise than pointing you to a month when the event occurs. Author Nelson Taylor provides contact information for these assemblies, but frequently it's only a phone number, as this was written before the Internet was so ubiquitous. This is a fun book, and I found it generally enjoyable, if not enormously useful in actually planning attendance at these events.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and plan my trip to "Spam Jam" and "Spamarama."

I sooooo want to go to the Potato Feast in Maine!!! I received this in the condition as described! Interesting book! Hope to go to some of the events!

This takes precendence over "Roadside America"...for ultimate in eccentricity. Includes Texas Aggie Bonfire, (World record on height,'69) as a last minute choice just after the Nov.'99 accident, of which there is a commemorative statement. To add send inquiries to: americabizarro@hotmail.com