MOKANE, Mo. -- The entertainment scheduled for this year's Frogs and Hogs Festival should leave motorcycle enthusiasts happy as a pig in mud when the festival leaps into action 5 p.m. Friday at 300 Broad Street in Mokane.
The 10th annual Festival, sponsored by the Amvets and Sons of Amvets Post No. 153, will kick off the two day rally for veterans by serving chicken wings during the traditional "Wing Ding" cookoff at 6 p.m.
Admission is free to the public, and free primitive camping will be offered, according to Sons of Amvets member and event organizer Billy Spencer.
Also scheduled for Friday night is the annual "Miss Frog Legs" competition. Spencer said he anticipates several ladies to participate in the contest again this year.
"People get a lot of kick out of it," he said. "It's fun."
This year's "Miss Frog Legs" champion will hand out trophies to the winners of the bike competitions.
Saturday's plans include a bike show, numerous bike games - such as slow ride and ring toss toss - and bike vendors, among other activities, Spencer said.
Spencer said free retailer vendor spots are still available and welcomes all local businesses - except for food vendors - because food and drinks will be sold at the festival.
"We have a vendor that comes all the way up from the state Louisiana - the chain nail guy - that's like the mesh the old knights used to fight with," he said. "They weigh a lot - like 100 pounds. "
Other merchandise will include Frogs and Hogs T-shirts, "cool cups" and a beanie - the prices for T-shirts will vary from $20 to $25, he said.
"We'll have collectible World War II T-shirts of Harold Boone - he's a member of our Amvets Post down there - there will be a limited edition of them to be sold this year to honor him," Spencer said.
He said the infamous menu this year will once again consist of frog legs, barbeque pork, hamburgers, hot dogs and various side dishes.
On Saturday, bikers will also rev up their engines and head to four local areas as part of the Hogs and Frogs Poker Run. Spencer said the first stop along the route will be the Fulton VFW Hall, followed by Barbie's Bar & Grill in Reform, the 608 Bar and Grill and lastly the Riverfront Bar & Grill in Portland before heading back to the Amvets Post 153 building in Mokane. The exact times for the poker run will be announced later this week, Spencer said.
Spencer said for attendees to expect live music from local bands both nights and that the music helps attract more people.
"The first year was kind of slim, but we keep gaining 300 to 400 new people every year, and people keep coming back," Spencer said.
He also thinks people return every year because of the affordable prices on food and drinks and the positive vibes between old friends and new friends.
"We had an old couple last year - they stayed the whole weekend with us," he said. "They didn't even have a tent - they had a Harley with a sidecar on it and they had enough stuff to just roll out sleeping bags and they slept there beside their Harley."
Spencer said the couple - whose in their 60s- told him "they felt more at home there than they did anywhere else they've ever been."
He also said the couple told him, "We'll be back every year because we've never seen anybody treat people like this."
Spencer added that they most likely felt that way because "we always take care of everybody."
He said although Frogs and Hogs offers plenty of entertainment every year, he wants the main purpose of the festival to focus on the veterans.
"It's all about the veterans - that's what this is for," he emphasized. "All proceeds from the festival go back to the veterans and we donate a majority of our funds to the Mexico Veterans Home because they're so close to us. We adopted them more or less."
He said some veterans from the Mexico Veterans Home will join the fun Saturday around lunch time.
Some proceeds will be also be donated to the Jefferson Barracks and other veterans organizations.