Four pushers, one toilet, and a race through a rural Pa. town
“Remember…this must look like an outhouse…be creative," the rule book states.
DUSHORE, Pa. — The competitors were wiped, but they gathered at the starting line in this sleepy Sullivan County town for one last push on their custom-built toilets.
“All right, this is it, folks,” emcee Gretchen Little announced. “Reputations are made. Legends are created. It’s all here, the drama, the triumph, the heartbreak. There’s nothing like the Dushore Outhouse Races.”
A half-dozen or so teams began the Dushore Founder’s Day 26th Annual Outhouse Races earlier on this Saturday night in early August. One by one, they dropped, teams like the Blue Water Angels, Perfect Dump, and Royal Flush.
Little let the crowd decide the best-looking outhouse before the final race. One of them was Steiny’s Heineys. Another team had a Dunkin’ Donuts theme with some unprintable potty humor.
The crowd itself was an anomaly in Dushore, easily four times bigger than its year-round population of about 450. Sullivan County, about 160 miles northwest of Philadelphia, is one of Pennsylvania’s most rural counties, and its population has been rapidly decreasing and aging for decades.
“You come to this town tomorrow, you might not see a soul,” said Darryl Kashner, of Coal Township.
Dushore’s Founder’s Day also included a 5k and a keg-rolling competition, but the crowds swelled on Main Street for the outhouses. Vendors included local wineries, coffee shops, and a Sullivan County artisanal broom maker that’s been in business for 100 years. Despite the crowd, many attendees said the turnout was smaller than usual.
“It used to be much bigger,” said Greg DelBuono.
Dushore’s outhouse races are essentially bobsledding on the street. The outhouse must have a real toilet seat, and most sit on simple aluminum frames with wheels.
“Remember … this must look like an outhouse … be creative," the rule book states.
The pilot sits on the throne, steering, while pushers line up outside. In Dushore, the best pushers were young and brawny, often sleeveless or shirtless. They came off the starting gun fast, racing uphill on Main Street. They passed through Sullivan County’s lone traffic light, swept around a memorial, and pushed back hard in the opposite direction, their legs burning.
“It’s a young man’s game,” said Kyle Nolte, 39, of Forksville. “I did this about 25 years ago, but I hung it up.”
The Coal Region Turd Herders were underdogs from the anthracite area south of Dushore, but they’d advanced to the finals by recruiting some real athletes — one of them was named “Speedy” — to do the pushing. Their outhouse was painted safety orange and featured a brown piece of, well you know, wearing sunglasses.
Like many people, Kashner discovered the races after he bought a hunting cabin in the area. Now, he pilots the Turd Herders’ outhouse.
“We bought the camp, came down, and decided to build one,” Kashner said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Team Nutz, the local boys from Sullivan County, were perennial favorites at the races and faced off with the Turd Herders in the finals. The winners would come away with a trophy and a few hundred dollars, but the bragging rights were more important.
When they rounded the memorial, the teams were neck and neck. The crowd was roaring. Cowbells were clanging.
“This is close,” Little said. “This is real close.”
Team Nutz, the locals, crossed first and dedicated their win to team founder Larry Kiess, who died at 36 in 2011.
“We trained for this. We came down here this week and trained for this, and every dollar we win goes to a scholarship in Larry’s name at Sullivan County High School,” said team organizer Jeff Neary. “This is our 26th year racing outhouses.”
