2024 Rattlesnake Round-up underway

NOXEN, WYOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It’s been a staple in Wyoming County for more than 50 years. Raising money for a local volunteer fire company, but with a slithering twist.

Getting up close and personal with a rattlesnake. Not many people can say they’ve done it but here at the Noxen Volunteer Fire Department. It’s part of the job for its annual ‘rattlesnake round-up’ fundraiser.

“They’re definitely more afraid of you than you are of them.”

The event is the fire company’s largest fundraiser, and the need for donations is greater than ever.

“The fuel’s going up, equipment’s going up, you know the cost of fire apparatus, everything’s going up around us… we have to do events like this to offset our cost so that we can continue to keep going, keep our doors open, keep our lights on, keep responding to emergencies.”

The rattlesnake roundup runs through Sunday, featuring food, games, and of course – snakes.

This pen will soon be filled with the slithering creatures as hunters catch, measure, and mark them with a chance to win a prize.

“This is huge for rural America because some people have snakes in their backyard and they are part of the ecosystem.” . . . “And thousands of people who are stopping by, can learn really cool facts and even touch a rattlesnake.”

“Breaking those myths that people have, the misconceptions that somebody has about snakes and not even just rattlesnakes, but educating the public, educating the youth that’s coming up. You know teaching them the respect for the rattlesnakes.”

Rounding up generations of families, the event has added overflow parking with a free shuttle due to its growth.

“We actually had to expand our pit a couple of years ago just because we do get so many people in here to try and allow more people to be able to see.”

All of the snakes caught and measured for the event are unharmed and safely returned to where they were found when the fundraiser ends.

The rattlesnake roundup in Noxen begins tonight at 6 p.m.

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