The Great Folsom Snail Race returns for city’s 80th birthday. What to know
Folsom is celebrating the city’s 80th birthday with a snail race.
The race will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Folsom City Lions Park, according to the city’s website. There will be several races to narrow competitors to the quarterfinals and beyond until a winner is named.
Snails will race up a wooden pole, according to the April 27 “Monday’s Minute with the Mayor.” The three divisions are youth, business and general entry.
Special competitions include best presentation, best-named snail and best-dressed snail handler, as participants are encouraged to wear costumes.
“Now’s a good time to start working on your costume,” Mayor Justin Raithel said in his Monday video.
The first Great Folsom Snail Race was held in 1981, according to the city’s website, which says the event continued through the 1980s and 1990s.
Nearly 75 snails participated in Folsom’s first snail race, according to Bee reporting from the time. Snails were expected to race down the foot-long poles at the time, but that changed that year when organizers discovered snails preferred to climb up the pole.
In 1984, the winning snail, Prince, climbed up his pole in four minutes and 53 seconds.
It costs $50 to participate in the snail race. Proceeds go toward the Folsom Athletic Association’s “Never in Our Town” Youth Assistance Program.
Snails are available at check-in for those who don’t have their own, according to the city.
Information about registration can be found on the city’s website, folsom.ca.us.
