Worm Gruntin' Festival

As some of you already know, I'm a well travelled guy, having been to almost every one of these United States and several dozen foreign countries too - I've seen a lot of sights.

From empty desert expanses, cities full of 100+ floors of neck crinkin' skyscrapers, to endless vistas of blue wind-swept waters.

From spooky empty ghost towns to bumper-to-bumper cars and people - from the totally ancient like Stonehenge to the sparkling new ... with all things human - the variety is never ending and I'll never be able to truthfully say, "Now I've seen everything!" But... sometimes I have to wonder.

A case in point - Last week while driving around in the "forgotten coast" of Florida, I ventured through a small town that appeared to consist of a single un-traffic-lighted crossroads with a florist, a recording studio, a town hall, an IGA supermarket untouched by modern electronics, and antique store named "Sisters Antiques and Uniques" where I spotted this store front banner:


I had driven by but I just had to stop and go back and see what this was all about.

At the Sisters Antiques and Uniques, an older woman came out to greet me saying, "Hello! y'all like to see those t-shirts?" I looked around me to see just who "y'all" was referring to - and found myself standing there alone.

Feeling slightly foolish, I replied, "Yes, ma'am, I all sure would."

She made an inscrutable face as if to decide if I was worth talking to, but then smiled and escorted me into the antique shop where I learned that she had been adopted at a very young age and when her adopting parents had passed away, she searched for her biological parents and found out at the age of 62 that she had a sister. A sister that subsequently went into the antique business with her - hence the "Sisters Antiques".

In a few short minutes we were chatting like we had known each other for years. She has a highly rated eBay store (here) that shows the kinds of items that she sells in addition to brand-new (non-antique) Worm Gruntin' Festival tee-shirts.

It was from her that I learned that the Annual Worm Gruntin' Festival in Sopchoppy, Florida is held in April every year and that this year's event was the 9th annual festival.

What is Worm Gruntin'? I thought you'd never ask...


Worm grunting is a method of capturing worms in order to use them for bait or putting them in compost piles.

A wooden stake is driven firmly into the ground and vibrated by dragging a piece metal such as a handsaw or leaf spring from an old car across the top of it. These vibrations apparently mimic the sounds of underground predators, such as moles and scare the worms to the surface.

Some people choose to make a living out of worm grunting. Gary and Audrey Revell, who I think are featured in the video below, have used worm grunting as their sole source of family income for over 40 years.

Video

I was offered the chance to do some worm gruntin' in her side yard but I settled for making a new friend and getting a t-shirt. Sopchoppy Florida is a right friendly little town...

:)