...and quicker'n you could wink, he'd spring straight up, and snake a fly off'n the counter...
So goes Mark Twain's famous tale, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.
The story is pure fabrication but Calaveras County does exist, as does the tiny Gold Rush-era mining town of Angels Camp, in which the fable is set. Nestled in the Sierra Foothills between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, a scenic and historic hour-and-a-half drive from Sacramento, the town of barely 3,000 people blossoms with its wildflowers every spring when it becomes home to the world-renowned
Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee.
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| Larry the Cable Guy |
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This year's event will be held the weekend of May 19-21 and will feature all the traditional activities of a small-town county fair: carnival, rodeo, livestock judging, auto racing and much more.
The big event, of course, is the frog jumping competition which has been known to draw as many as four thousand contestants, including a celebrity or two.
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| Mark Twain's Cabin |
There are three RV parks in the area and quite a few motels, too.
While you're in the neighborhood you really should take time to see some of the natural wonders like California Cavern, Moaning Cavern and historic locations including the Mark Twain Cabin
at nearby Jackass Hill. It was here that Sam Clemens began writing the legend of a frog named Dan'l Webster and the heritage of Angels Camp, California.
Photos courtesy of Frogtown . org
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