Another thing Lovington is famous for (besides B. Urlacher)

World's Greatest Lizard Races

By: © Nelson Taylor 2007
Festival Location: Lovington, NM, USA Festival Type(s): Bizarre Festivals , Bizarre Sports Events , Animal Festivals

Every 4th of July, it's not fireworks that light up the faces of Lovington's little ones. It's their natural need for speed, which is supplied by lightning-quick lizards. At the Chaparral Park speedway, the world's premiere mini-reptile racetrack, lizards of every ilk vi for top honors in a race that has become symbolic with do-or-die competition. The course is the most difficult in the country: a perilous 16-foot ramp that feeds into an ominous plexiglass container. But adults beware: your lizardry isn't wanted here. Only kids under 16 can enter.

While some gung-ho young guns import only the finest lizards from rival towns and train them year round, most catch theirs within a week of the race, some the day of. Prior planning isn't necessary as Lovington is a veritable breeding ground for various species, such as the mountain boomer, the horny toad, the gecko and the skink. While that may be true, catching these buggers is a pain in the butt. (Hint: Use a rope-headed mop.) The largest racer to date was an 18-inch iguana. Intrigued by the beast, the crowd circled in close. When the starter's pistol exploded, the iguana hopped to his hind legs, flared the loose skin around his head, and made like Godzilla down the track. Needles to say, this unexpected display sent the spectators running. The iguana? Having frozen at the finish line, he didn't even win.

Another interesting story in race history happened in 1976 at the inaugural race. Before the present-day streamlined track, the race was held in a horse tank. The entrants were caged underneath a tub in the center of the tank. The crowd pushed and shoved for a front-row spot around the tank, cameras ready. When the tub was finally turned, the lizards did not move. Petrified by the hundreds of faces and flashes, they did what all good lizards do. They began to eat each other. That year, the lizard with the biggest stomach took the title.

World's Greatest Lizard Races - When, Where and More Info Please
When: 4th of July every year
Where: Lovington, NM, U.S.A.
More Info Please: For more info call 505/296-2944.
Literature
The above snippet is just one of a collection of 240 off-beat articles on 2camels from Nelson Taylor's wonderful America Bizarro.