Kentucky ‘Redneck Rave’ festival descends into violence

A five day festival calling itself ‘Redneck Rave’ ended in violence last week, with 14 people arrested and 48 people charged.

Among the incidents said to have taken place are strangulation, severed fingers impalement and an alleged throat-slitting, as well as thirty drug and alcohol-related offences.

The festival was organised at the remote Blue Holler Offroad Park in Edmonson County, Kentucky by country rapper Justin Time, and billed itself as “America’s wildest and craziest country party”. Organisers said over 20,000 tickets were sold.

Along with music, attractions included a world record attempt for the “largest demolition derby ever”, goldfish racing, a “huge football game” and mud pits.

Speaking to local paper The Lexington Herald Leader, Edmonson County Sherriff Shane Doyle said he didn’t have the personnel to properly dismantle the event, which saw the county’s population double, and so focussed on containment instead.

“The first vehicle that came through, we found meth, marijuana, and an open alcohol container,” Doyle said. “And then one of the occupants had two active warrants. We were like ‘well, this doesn’t bode well for the weekend.’”

Organiser Justin Time was defiant following the event, describing it as “the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life” in a lengthy Facebook post which you can see in full below.

“We can definitely improve on a lot of things to make the one in October run a lot better,” he said. “we are listening to all your suggestions. This was the biggest event we’ve ever done and with as many people and random things that popped up unexpectedly I feel like we all handled it very well. For the negative Nancy’s… we will put a complaint box by the porta johns next time for ya.”

Please read all this… The concert at Redneck Rave 2021 looked like an entire city… was the coolest thing I’ve ever…

Posted by RedneckRave on Monday, June 21, 2021

Over the course of the five day event, Sheriff Doyle said that one festival-goer had his throat slit by a supposed friend who is yet to be apprehended. “They were intoxicated, they got into a fight, one of them slit the other one’s throat and then fled into the park,” Doyle said.

Another attendee, Lancer Hodges has been charged with strangulation, wanton endangerment and fourth-degree domestic violent assault, after allegedly strangling a woman with whom he argued over a blanket. The victim told police he strangled her “until she was losing consciousness.”

Accidental injuries included a man being impaled in the abdomen when he drove over a log that went through the bottom of his off-road vehicle. He was later flown to hospital.

Elsewhere another man had his finger crushed after his vehicle, which was lifted up using a jack, slipped off and landed on his hand. “He didn’t lose the whole finger but he lost part of one,” Doyle said. Another edition of Redneck Rave is currently set for October.

You can view the original article HERE.