The Gopher Count is an annual community festival held in

Viola, Minnesota Viola is an unincorporated community in Viola Township, Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. It is the site of a yearly Gopher Count festival, which began in 1874. The community is located along Olmsted County Road 2 (Viola Road) near 10 ...

, United States. Since 1874, the event has been on the third Thursday in June. Some the events include a parade, a tractor show, a nail-driving contest ( women only), a pie-eating contest, fireworks, and dancing. Gopher Count is thirteen years younger than Minnesota's longest, continuously-running celebration,

Stiftungsfest Stiftungsfest is a "Founder's Day" celebration held in Norwood Young America, Minnesota, United States, on the last full weekend of August every year. The first Stiftungsfest was held in 1861. It is Minnesota's oldest celebration. The Stiftungsfest ...

, which began in 1861. The festival is named for the practice of collecting a bounty on killed

gophers Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They are ...

, still paid by the township , though other aspects of the festival are more actively promoted.

References

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External links

Viola Gopher Count website
{{Coord, 44, 3, 48, N, 92, 16, 1, W, display=title Festivals in Minnesota Tourist attractions in Olmsted County, Minnesota