Sopotnick’s Cabbage Patch Bar (Website) in Samsula, near New Smyrna Beach and about an hour northeast of Orlando, will host Coleslaw Wrestling Day on Saturday, October 17, as part of a full week of Biketoberfest events, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The matches take place in the 5-acre field behind the bar at 549 Tomoka Farms Road [GMap]. The tradition dates to the late 1980s, when Ron Luznar took over the bar from his aunt, Olga “Aunt Ollie” Weber. She had turned the gas station and general store run by her father, Samsula co-founder Joe Sopotnick, into a bar. By then, it was already a biker hangout known for camping in the old cabbage field next door and betting on illegal drag races. We’re not narcing them out; it’s just a known thing now.
When bikini wrestling in mud and whipped cream caught on elsewhere, Luznar stayed on brand and filled the ring with coleslaw instead. The event became a fixture of both Bike Week and Biketoberfest. Because, of course, it did.
Because participation slots for the coleslaw pit are limited and managed largely in-person by the bar’s organizers and emcees during the festival days, interested participants generally need to arrive early or call the venue ahead of the rally schedule to secure a spot on the roster.
Biketoberfest (Website) returns to Daytona Beach Thursday, October 15, through Sunday, October 18, marking the event’s 34th anniversary.
