50th Saluda Coon Dog Days

View from the 50th Coon Dog Day parade!!

Treeing contest ACTION from Saluda Coon Dog Day

A big tradition in the sleepy mountain town of Saluda (Polk County, N.C.) is the annual Coon Dog Day, which is always the first Saturday after July 4th. The 2013 edition marked the 50th anniversary of this grand event that celebrates the outdoor tradition of hunting with coon hounds. The debate rages on every Coon Dog Day about the most popular breed of coon hound; whether it be bluetick, walker, redbone, plott's, english or black and tans.

The day begins with a 5K Race and reaches a crescendo at 11 a.m. with a grand parade with fire trucks, hillbilly's, local campers, and floats with special themes. A large crowd of Coon Dog Day fans turned up on Main St. to witness the spectacle, where the 'summer folks' of the Lowcountry are always present. One such float was created by the Saluda Sittin' and Sippin' Society, built with a 50's theme complete with poodle skirts, leather jackets, coca-cola and rock'n'roll music.

Despite a lot of rainy weather, the parade went off without a hitch, and the cooler temperatures were a welcome change from the last three Coon Dog Days that were marked by record heat. An old-fashioned square dance helps to close out Coon Dog Day each year!

To view nature notes from Saluda click here.

Saluda Sittin' and Sippin' Society builds a float

Rock Around the Coon float equals fun times

To view past blog entries from Coon Dog Days click here.

To view past entries from the Grand American and Coon Fest click 2016 - 2015 - 2014-  2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010