When cabin fever brain-rot reaches critical mass in West Michigan, Coopersville residents find release in a special event reserved for the completely demented. Now in its eighth year, Outhouse 500 flushes away the winter funk with its tongue-in-cheek festival.

The event culminates in a bizarre exhibition of latrine locomotion - teams of eager poo-pushers from all squats of life face off in a series of drag races, running their handmade crapper-cabins-on-wheels down a stretch of Coopersville's Main Street to the finish line.

Each Outhouse 500 chamber cart is uniquely designed, balancing functional engineering, decorative flair and loads potty puns.

Outhouse 500 began with a search to shake the dead of winter and bring awareness to downtown Coopersville with a unique, innovative event that reflected the identity of the Coopersville community said LeeAnn Creager, Coopersville Farm Museum director.

Outhouse 500 Downtown Coopersville Feb. 25, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free coopersville.com/events.htm

"Outhouses are part of our rural history. Every farm had an outhouse, so the outhouse is truly is a rural icon. We wanted an event to be a wacky, fun, silly thing to do," Creager said.

Phil Cok, Coopersville Chamber of Commerce president suggests Coopersville's neighbor may have also impacted the decision to go with a bawdy poo-party like Outhouse 500. Ottawa County Farms Landfill and its hanging, tangy refuse stench lurk just beyond the horizon of I-96.

Prior to the race, contestants gas up on highly combustible energy at Fuel of the Outhouse 500, a homemade chili cook-off at the Coopersville Farm Museum. Other foul activities to fill out the day include a toilet seat decorating contest, 5K run, diaper drive, an outhouse grand floral parade and live music.

Cok recalls some of the best entries of previous years as a Harry Potter-themed Hogfarts Harry Potty, The Yooper Pooper Group and a holy crapper-chapel escorted by local church members dressed as nuns.