The best thing about roadkill is not seeing roadkill.
But then there are events like the Roadkill Cook-off in West Virginia that gives a whole new meaning to home-cooked meals.
We assumed that a roadkill cook-off would be an event ready to make bank off your neighbor's cat and a few red squirrels that weren't fast enough crossing the road.
While most of the food available at the Roadkill Cook-off is either farm-raised (like the alligator) or wild game, the meat entered into the actual competition portion must abide by certain rules: It must have been at some point hit by a car or truck, but not on an interstate highway. Because rural routes are so much more healthy (and graveled?).
The event is slated for this Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Snoeshoe Career Center in Marlinton, W.V., where it expects to draw roughly 10,000 hungry visitors from all over the country. Watch as Little Miss Roadkill and the Roadkill Queen are crowned, bluegrass music is played and your morning is kick-started by the Possum Trot 5K run/walk.
The 15+ teams competing in the cook-off will vie for a $1,000 cash grand prize. The blurred lines, however, between how the animal died and how it lands on your plate is still as confusing to us as it ever was but we think it's worth a try for the amusement value alone.
The fest is about five hours west of downtown D.C. at 200 8th St. in Marlinton, W.V., and admission is free. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 28.
