National Hollerin’ Contest Day – June 20

By Crystal Arcand on June 19th, 2009

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Crank up the volume on your voice – today is National Hollerin’ Contest Day! The little town of Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina has a population boom from about 500 to 5,000 to 10,000 on the third Saturday in June every year. Since 1969, people from all over the world have gathered in Spivey’s Corner to see just who can yell the best.

So just what is hollerin’? Isn’t it just yelling like a redneck? Nope. Before telephones, folks used their voices to communicate over long distances. It wasn’t just “yelling really loud,” though. Hollerin’ done correctly involves volume, tone, and pitch. Hollerin’ includes several variations:

• Distress hollers: Just as you’d guess, these are used to notify others of impending danger or to summon help. A falsetto tone and sense of urgency are the hallmarks of this most helpful holler.
• Functional hollers: These could be considered the first ring-tones. Farmers and ranchers each had their own distinctive hollers to use for calling their animals or letting nearby farmers that they were “up ‘n’ at ‘em” for the day. Women got in on this act to call in their families from the fields for meals.
• Communicative hollers: These were the hollers people used just to say, “Howdy.” Local folklore explains that a farmer might “holler just to hear a reassuring answer from his neighbor in the next field a mile or two away.” Women used these hollers as well.
• Expressive hollers: Sometimes you just gotta have some fun. That’s where expressive hollers come in – they’re just for the fun of it. Usually, this is a hollered version of a melody or well-known tune.

The Lost Art of Hollerin’ gives more folklore and detail about this art form. The 2009 celebration will be a day full of fun and festivities:

Beach Music DJ/Emcee Joey Warren
Antique Farm Equipment Exhibit
Toy Tractor Exhibit
Car Show sponsored by the Harnett Cruisers
Kids Zone
Concert with Tommy Black and Blooz
National Hollerin’ Contest
Food
Souvenirs
Vendors

Check out the official Hollerin’ Contest website for the schedule of events and to download your registration form to enter the contest. Can’t make it to North Carolina? Have your own hollerin’ contest!