Stephen Hamilton, at left, a member of the Diamondback Jubilee pit crew, holds a rattlesnake up for onlookers to see during the counting and measuring of snakes on Saturday. ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH | DISPATCH RECORD
This 1975 newspaper photo shows Bunt Dean displaying the champion rattler, a 65-inch snake that he and his partner J.B. Jennings had captured that year. Dean was one of the early-day snake hunters at the annual jubilee in Lometa. FILE PHOTO
As its name implies, the Diamondback Jubilee began more than 50 years ago as a community event dedicated to rounding up rattlesnakes. It has developed into a popular festival that draws several thousand visitors to Lometa on the last Saturday of March for what is now a several-day celebration and rodeo.
Many still come to view the snakes that are gathered from around the area.
