My name is Casey Whoolery-Pratt and I am tired. Tired of misguided articles. Tired of hateful stories. Tired of the truth being stretched. And for once, I am doing what scares every inch of me to death. Standing up and telling our side of the story. Before I get ahead of myself, though, let me explain.
I moved to Sweetwater, Texas in 2012 all the way from Pennsylvania. When I got here I was exposed to something the world knows as "The World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up." However, I, and the rest of town, know it as a sense of community, awareness, protection, and an opportunity for education. It is nothing the bad press ever makes it out to be and it is so much more than what the good press does. With that all being said, I want to tell you our side. No fluff. No lies. Just a girl who came from the outside about 6 years ago and was welcomed with open arms into this community ever since.
So, let me clarify what the Sweetwater Jaycees do for our town. This event brings in between 25 to 30 thousand people and about 8.65 million dollars to our economy every year and is continually growing. And, for most that don't know, the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round was created 60 years ago due to the high population of snakes that was killing farm animals, crops, and people, completely deteriorating our community. The very original Sweetwater Jaycees stood up and did something about it, for the sake of the locals and their farms. And it is still around today for the same reasons. The majority of citizens here have to be cautious of where they step, where their children play, and where their animals herd. This event allows us to worry less due to the number of snakes we collect every year.
When the snakes are collected, they are measured and weighed for records and documentation of that year's averages. They then are milked, which means they collect their venom for antivenin and research. Lastly, they are skinned. The meat gets sold for cooking purposes and the skin gets sold for personal use. And in between all of these stages, they are used as an educational tool to teach people about safety, venom, habitats, population control, and more.
But this event is more than just the snakes, too. It is an opportunity. An opportunity for out of towners, Sweetwater, enlightenment, and understanding. The Sweetwater Jaycees provide this event for a bigger purpose. If they just wanted population control and to keep the community safe, they would do it with no event to document it all. But they do it for the comprehension of our struggles of overpopulation, guidance on snakes and safety, and to give the town of Sweetwater an outlet to bond. Every single person who lives in Sweetwater, Texas struggles with this. So we all can come together as a community in understanding of what is best for the greater good.
We have this event for people who want to learn and understand. And the Sweetwater Jaycees and I would love to help you with that. I invite anyone of you reading this out to our event starting today, Friday, March 9th through March 11th to the World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up: a place of community, awareness, protection, and an opportunity to learn. This is what the Sweetwater Jaycees stand for, and I, Casey Whoolery-Pratt, stand for them.
