Mountain View, Arkansas -
Annual Beanfest and Outhouse Races

A hint of autumn in the air means outhouse racers are being constructed and bean and cornbread recipes perfected for the Arkansas Bean Fest and Great Arkansas Championship Outhouse Race, to be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 25th - 27th, 2007 in Mountain View.

Early Saturday morning the fires are lit under about 30-40 large antique cast iron pots loaded down with 2,000 lbs. of Great Value pinto beans on the north and west sides of the court square. The cooking teams sometimes dress as clowns or ghouls to compete for the title of Best Beans. At the noon dinner bell, cups of beans are served with cornbread and onion, all for free.

Things step up a notch with the Parade of Outhouses around 1 p.m. The crowd gathers to cheer for their favorite "people powered potty" team of driver and pushers. The wheeled outhouses are outfitted with a steering device for the driver (while sitting on a potty seat), with power provided by two pushers. Teams get into the spirit by dressing in costumes to fit the theme of their privy.

All sense of decorum is abandoned as the racers line up and run in heats on Jefferson Street south of the court square to determine the fastest privy in the Ozarks. Teams compete for the revered Gold, Silver and Bronze toilet seat awards and cash prizes. [DeWyn Avey, 06/23/2007]