Angels Camp & the famous Frog Jump

Many of you don't have a clue where angels Camp is or what the Frog jump is so let me explain it to you. Without going into all the details of where the story comes from & how it all started, I will let you research that on your own but check Mark Twain & Angels Camp CA. for more information.
Angels Camp is located approximately 50 miles east of Stockton, in the Mother Lode region of California. Known for its colorful past, Angels Camp hosts the annual Frog Jump which in & of itself isn't that important but the fact that people from around the world, continue coming to an old mining town of less than 8,000 people for a small County fair just to see frogs jump, is remarkable.

I was born in Calaveras County from where the Frog Jump takes place & as a small boy, I became fascinated by the fair & all the incredible activities & food that go along with a County fair but the one thing which always became the highlight of my fair experience was the jumping of frogs. Anyone can sign up to jump a frog from a circle placed in the center of a stage & after 3 jumps, the frog which jumps the farthest, wins the award for frog jumping in that year. You can bring your own frog or choose from some fatigued frogs that have been jumped by 100s of kids all day.
I know that seeing frogs jump doesn't seem like an interesting day but to a youngster with the thought of winning anything & playing with frogs, was a pretty incredible way to spend the day.
The allure remained for many years even though as I got into high school it wasn't so much the frogs I wanted to see but rather my friends and the girls that tagged along.
To some degree, I believe the fair still holds these same meanings for the different ages but for me, the mystique wore off years ago as the commercial element crept in & the charm was lost. the Frog Jump went through a rebellious time during the late 1960s & early 1970s in which the Hells Angels took over angels Camp & broke windows throughout the community along with other infamous groups that found a place to have turf wars, far from their homes in the Bay area or other California cities. My Mom in fact, was knocked over by a biker in the 1970s while she volunteered to collect entrance fees for the Frog Jump but never did it again after she was robbed & her neck was severely damaged. The next year the National Guard was called in to maintain peace & civility. The hippie movement also came to the fair and it was hard to find a space in the surrounding hills close to the Frog Jump which didn't have naked & dirty people expressing themselves any way they wanted. Once again the police cracked down on the hippie movement & for me the once, dreamed of, Frog Jump adventure was lost forever.
I took my children to the fair when they were young because they wanted the experience & I wanted to be with them but once they lost the desire to go or no longer wanted to be with Dad at the fair, I relinquished my fair duties & have not been for over 5 years. I can't say for sure if that is because it no longer interests me, I didn't like the change that took place or if I just became to lazy to walk around all day to visit friends. I can't answer to what reason it is but I know that the Frog Jump is unique & although the Hells Angels & the Hippies have been replaced by Yuppies on motorcycles along with a mixture of locals & the curious from around the world, everyone should experience the Frog Jump at least once in their life because where else on earth can you come & watch frogs jump or relive your youth by jumping your own frog ?