Located a few hours away from Cedar Rapids, the small town of Britt, Iowa is the location of one of the nation's oddest events: the Britt Hobo Days festival.

The weekend celebration is August 9-12, and features a parade and carnival, the car show, live entertainment, and free Mulligan stew. Yum!

Hard financial times made hobos famous during the depression of the 1930's, because hobos would travel for work of any kind. They'd hop freight trains for a cross country free ride to the next town and their next meal.

Since 1900, Britt Iowa has hosted a National Hobo Convention that includes a weekend festival celebrating hobo traditions and history.

Hobos have been immortalized in TV shows, movies and songs. Do you remember Roger Miller singing the "King of the Road"?

I remember as a kid my grandfather would feed hobos who came to his back door. The hobos were happy to earn a meal by doing any small chore my grandfather could find for them to do.

So heat up a can of beans over an open fire, and camp out under the stars near the railroad tracks before you thumb a ride to Britt this summer for a real hobo experience.

[source: Britt Hobo Days]

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