Spittoono

History of the Spittoono Music Festival in Clemson, SC

Origins in 1981 – Clemson’s “Redneck Spoleto”

The Spittoono (sometimes spelled Spitoono in alternating years) began in the summer of 1981 as a tongue-in-cheek parody of Charleston’s highbrow Spoleto Festivalen.wikipedia.org. Clemson’s Esso Club – a former gas station turned iconic bar – was struggling to stock enough beer for the first home football game, so owner Bob Higby and a group of regular patrons hatched a wild idea: hold a music festival to raise beer moneytheessoclub.com. This loose coalition of locals jokingly called itself the Redneck Performing Arts Association (RPAA), and their new festival would celebrate “redneck” culture and music as Clemson’s answer to Spoletoen.wikipedia.org. The inaugural Spittoono I took place in 1981 in the Esso Club’s parking lot, featuring free live music from local bar bands, plenty of cold beer, and even a long-distance tobacco spitting contest – a messy but crowd-pleasing tradition that gave the festival its namelatimes.comlatimes.com. From the start, Spittoono didn’t take itself too seriously; as one organizer put it, “Rednecks have performing arts too…theirs are just a little messier”latimes.com.

Growth in the 1980s – From Parking Lot to Armory

Spittoono quickly became a hit with locals and Clemson University students. Throughout the 1980s, the Esso Club hosted the annual multi-day event each August (timed with the start of the fall semester) and saw growing crowds each yearen.wikipedia.org. The festival developed its own quirky identity. It remained free admission and family-friendly – anyone could wander in to listen to rock, country, bluegrass or blues bands playing on a makeshift stageen.wikipedia.org. Money was raised through sales of ice-cold beer (served by Esso Club volunteers) and souvenir T-shirts, often emblazoned with humorous slogans and artwork poking fun at redneck culturepatch.comtheessoclub.com. A signature tobacco “spit” contest became a beloved Spittoono ritual, with contestants vying to launch a stream of tobacco juice the farthest. (By the 1990s, champion Bill Barrioz had won five times with a personal best spit of 21 feet 11 inches – nearly an NBA three-pointer!latimes.comlatimes.com) Such antics embodied Spittoono’s playful spirit – “it’s all about drinking another beer when you’re not really thirsty, or eating another barbecue sandwich when you’re not hungry…just because it’s good,” explained longtime festival president Larry Atkinsonlatimes.com. In short, “More Opry than opera,” Spittoono was proudly unrefined and fun-loving.

By 1990, after ten years at the Esso Club, Spittoono had outgrown the little parking lottheessoclub.com. Crowds were overflowing into the street, and logistical challenges (including a dispute with the bar’s new owner over beer sales) made it clear the festival needed a bigger venueen.wikipedia.org. In 1991, the RPAA moved Spittoono to the field behind the National Guard Armory on Hwy 76 in Clemson (near Pendleton)en.wikipedia.org. The Armory site offered much more space – enough for a proper stage, dancing, and even a baseball field which doubled as the spitting contest arenalatimes.comlatimes.com. Through the 1990s and 2000s, Spittoono continued annually at the Armory field, rain or shine, becoming a cherished end-of-summer tradition for the Clemson community. Despite its tongue-in-cheek “redneck” branding, the festival was genuinely family-oriented and welcoming to all. Where Charleston’s Spoleto had classical performances in grand theaters, Clemson’s Spittoono featured locals picking guitars under open sky, with lawn chairs and coolers dotting the field. Both, in their own way, celebrated the arts – just “yin and yang – sweet and sour – that makes the world go round,” as Atkinson jokedlatimes.comlatimes.com.

Community Impact and Charity

What began as a scheme to fund the Esso Club’s beer supply soon evolved into a force for good in the community. By 1982 the RPAA formally registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, pledging festival proceeds to local charitiesen.wikipedia.org. Spittoono’s motto became “for kids and critters,” reflecting its support of organizations aiding children and animalsen.wikipedia.org. Over the decades, the festival has raised well over $130,000 for upstate South Carolina nonprofitsen.wikipedia.org. Each year, the RPAA would select regional causes to receive donations – everything from local humane societies and animal shelters to youth programs and community sheltersen.wikipedia.orgpatch.com. All the musicians performed for free, and the event remained free to attend, ensuring that as many people as possible could come enjoy the music and contribute by buying a T-shirt or a beer. In 2017, for example, Spittoono’s organizers distributed $18,000 raised from the festival to a dozen area charitiesen.wikipedia.org. This grassroots philanthropy, wrapped in irreverent humor and good times, endeared Spittoono to the Clemson area. It wasn’t just a party – it was neighbors helping neighbors. As one local news piece noted, Spittoono proudly “embraces redneck culture [while] rais[ing] money for local nonprofits.”archive.independentmail.com

Changes, Challenges, and Continuity

By the 2010s, Spittoono was one of Clemson’s longest-running traditions, but it continued to evolve. In 2015 the festival changed locations again, moving from the Armory to a large open field off Eighteen Mile Road in Central, SC, just outside Clemsonen.wikipedia.org. The move was prompted by ever-growing attendance (the Armory site’s capacity was maxing out) and a desire for more parking and camping space. The new “Spittoono field” allowed the event to spread its wings, but being a few miles out of town also led to a slight drop in the casual walk-in crowd. Combined with two years of bad weather and an aging core audience, the organizers saw attendance dip in the mid-2010sen.wikipedia.org. In 2017, after 37 consecutive festivals, the original RPAA announced that Spittoono “XXXVII” (37) would be the Grand Finaleen.wikipedia.org. That August, Spittoono 37 was held as a celebratory send-off, complete with extra fanfare and nostalgia for all the years of “beer, T-shirts, good music and community”en.wikipedia.org. Many assumed it was the end of an era.

However, in true Spittoono fashion, the story took a twist. On the final night of the 2017 festival, it was announced from the stage that a new sponsor would step in to keep Spittoono aliveen.wikipedia.org. A group of younger volunteers from the area formed a new nonprofit (eventually known as Road 18 Charities) to assume the mantle. Spittoono was simply too important to let die. In 2018, the festival was back for its 38th installment, this time under new management but with the same quirky soul. Organizers assured the community that Spittoono would remain free and charity-focused, though they did infuse some fresh ideas – inviting more up-and-coming regional bands and modernizing some logisticstigernet.comtigernet.com. Longtime staple acts like the Deadly Crank Dogs (a rock band that had played almost every Spittoono for decades) passed the torch to newer groups, signaling a generational shifttigernet.com.

The transition was successful, and Spittoono continued into the late 2010s and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a hiatus in 2020 (marking the first year without a Spittoono since its inception), but the festival returned once it was safe to gather again. By 2022, Spittoono was back on its usual late-August schedule, still “Beer. T-shirts. Good music. Community. All for charity,” as its social media tagline proclaimsfacebook.com. After over 40 years, Spittoono has become woven into the cultural fabric of Clemson and its surrounding towns. It’s not just a music festival – it’s a quirky homegrown institution where college students, families, and old-timers alike meet up yearly to laugh, listen to local bands, sling back a few brews, and maybe watch someone hurl tobacco juice nearly 22 feet for glory.

Musical Lineups Over the Years

One constant throughout Spittoono’s history is the abundance of live music spanning genres and generations. The festival’s stage has hosted dozens of local and regional acts, from country crooners and bluegrass pickers to classic rockers and blues bands. Many acts became Spittoono mainstays, returning year after year. For example, Clemson-based blues-rock outfit The Deadly Crank Dogs was a fan favorite that often played the late-night slot for many yearspatch.com, and the True Blues band regularly brought soulful rock vibes to the stagepatch.com. High-energy Southern rock groups like Seven Year Witch and country/bluegrass ensembles such as West End String Band and Conservation Theory have also been popular fixtures in various yearstigernet.comtigernet.com.

To illustrate the festival’s musical variety, here are a few sample lineups by year:

  • 2012 (Spittoono XXXII): Held at the Clemson Armory site, this 32nd edition featured 18 bands over three nightspatch.compatch.com. The Thursday night kickoff included acts like Rainy Day Women and The Soulfeathers, while Friday’s bill ranged from country artist Cody Webb to rockers True Blues and the rowdy Deadly Crank Dogs, who revved up the crowd at 10:15pmpatch.compatch.com. Saturday’s lineup leaned bluegrass and Southern rock, with the West End String Band opening the afternoon and acts like Spider Farm Band, Nitrograss, and singer Doug McCormick carrying the music late into the nightpatch.compatch.com. By the midnight finale, hundreds of festival-goers were still dancing and hollering alongpatch.compatch.com.
  • 2018 (Spittoono XXXVIII): The first festival under new leadership (and now in Central, SC) continued the tradition with a mix of veteran groups and new faces. The three-day schedule in August 2018 included hometown Americana legends The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show kicking things off with their original tune “I Had a Bad Day Today and Tomorrow Won’t Be No Better”gypsyfarm.netgypsyfarm.net. Across the weekend, attendees enjoyed everything from upstate indie-rock and country (e.g. Taylor McCall, The Jake Bartley Band) to hard-driving Southern rock (e.g. Seven Year Witch) and bluesy outfits like The Soulfeatherstigernet.comtigernet.com. Saturday’s finale saw bluegrass/folk represented by Conservation Theory, country-rock by the Trevor Hewitt Band, and a foot-stomping closing set by The Piedmont Boys, keeping the crowd hooting till past midnighttigernet.comtigernet.com. The continuity was clear – despite new organizers, Spittoono’s stage still showcased an eclectic lineup of “good ol’ bands” playing for free, purely for the love of music and community.
  • 2022 (Spittoono XL): After the pandemic pause, Spittoono roared back with what was billed as its 40th festival. The spirit remained the same: local favorites like JJ Woolbright & The Whiskey Road and LOZ (Lionz of Zion) brought classic and funk-rock flavors, while younger bands such as Ploma Drive and Rush Morgan entertained a new generation of fanstigernet.comfacebook.com. By evening, long-time acts were bridging past and present – for instance, blues-rocker Adam Carter and Clemson’s own Wobblers band kept the older fans satisfied, even as college students moshed to newer rock acts. Rain or shine (and indeed a quick summer downpour hit one night), the music played on, underscoring the festival’s resilience and its role as a launchpad for local talent.

Over the years, virtually every “band that ever formed in Clemson” has had a turn on the Spittoono stage, according to local lore. While the names have changed and music trends have come and gone, the festival’s core formula remains: live music, laid-back vibes, and a charitable cause. Whether it was the humble early days with a couple of pickup-truck bands in 1981, the “Evolutionarily Redneck” themed 29th year in 2009, or the more recent post-COVID comeback, Spittoono’s musical lineup has always been about showcasing homegrown talent and giving the community a great time. As one Facebook recap aptly put it, “Beer. T-shirts. Good music. Community. All for charity. These are the things that make Spittoono so special!”facebook.com

Cultural Significance and Legacy

Spittoono’s legacy in Clemson is rich with humor, music, and community spirit. It started as a satirical counter-festival but became a beloved tradition in its own right – one that Clemson residents boast about to newcomers. The festival connects the college crowd with the local “townie” crowd in a unique way: professors and farmers, students and alumni, children and retirees all rub elbows at Spittoono, united by cold beer and foot-tapping tunes. Its cultural significance is evident in the way it has persisted for over four decades and even survived a planned “finale.” Each summer, anticipation builds for Spittoono weekend, with folks reminiscing about past festivals (often telling tall tales of legendary spit distances or epic jam sessions) and looking forward to new memories. The festival has even garnered attention beyond Clemson – for example, the Los Angeles Times once highlighted Spittoono as a prime example of America’s quirky spitting contests and noted its role as a counterpoint to more refined arts eventslatimes.comlatimes.com.

Perhaps most importantly, Spittoono symbolizes Clemson’s playful side and the community’s willingness to band together for fun and philanthropy. It’s an event where a joke and a good cause go hand-in-hand. Each year, the RPAA (and now Road 18 Charities) volunteers prove that you can “have a heck of a good time” while doing good for others – a notion at the heart of Clemson’s community values. The festival’s colorful traditions, from the ceremonial spitting contest (with the coveted little brass spittoon trophy) to the ever-creative T-shirt designs, create a shared cultural heritage that locals cherish. Even the festival’s name is a local byword; mention “Spittoono” in Clemson, and you’ll evoke grins and stories – perhaps about that time the field turned to mud and people danced barefoot, or when a sudden power outage led to an impromptu acoustic singalong under car headlights.

In sum, the history of Spittoono is a vibrant timeline of a community-driven music festival that never lost its sense of humor or purpose. From its founding in 1981 at a gas-station bar by a bunch of self-professed redneckstheessoclub.com, to its growth into a regional attraction, to its resilience through change and adversity, Spittoono has left an indelible mark on Clemson, South Carolina. It stands as a testament that sometimes the best way to celebrate art and culture is with a wink, a smile, and maybe a spit – all while raising a toast (and funds) to help those in need in your own backyard. Spittoono may have started as a spoof, but today it’s nothing less than a Clemson institution – one where “nothin’ left to do but smile, smile, smile!”tigernet.com, and enjoy the music, year after year.

Sources:

Forums
Clemson Fun Bunch
The Music Scene at ...
Spittoono
 
Notifications
Clear all

Spittoono

RSS

No topics were found here

Share: