"The WTXL Road Trip" series continues, last week in Jefferson County and all this week we had some fun in Wakulla County.
SOPCHOPPY, FL (WTXL) - While it may be an unfamiliar concept to most, worm gruntin' is an important and long standing tradition for the people of Wakulla County.
The science of worm gruntin' goes back almost a decade ago, when a Vanderbilt scientist came down to study his theory on the strange technique. Based on a theory that stems from Charles Darwin, he believed that worms came to the surface after hearing vibrations that might indicate a mole was coming, according to historian Nelson Martin.
And Martin says the worms in Wakulla County are something special, "We have the best worms, they're native American Worms which are very rare in the United States."
Worms are often used for fishing bait and the better the worms, the more fish you catch.
But what is worm gruntin'? Well, it involves taking an iron rod and grinding it up against a wood plank. Every time the rod grinds against the wood, it makes the worms think a mole is coming to get them.
The industry itself had a big scare back in 1972 when Charles Kuralt's "On the Road" came to Sopchoppy to do a feature on gruntin', explains Bill Lowery, the festival Chair.
"It brought a lot of publicity and wasn't all good for the worm harvesting industry. The National Forest demanded that they start permitting this to protect the worms. And the IRS audited the worm broker, so people were a little disappointed in that," said Lowery.
But now a festival 15 years in the making celebrates the history of Sopchoppy all while embracing worm gruntin'; something that brings the community together.
"The thing that's most iconic about the festival is the worm gruntin' contest itself, we put in an additional 1500 worms," said Lowery.
That's so the kids can have a fair shot at grunting, but for the adults the bragging rights are serious.
"We crowned a Queen of the Worms Festival... we've almost run out of Kings and Queens that we're doing a scholarship instead," said Martin.
In all, organizers say the festival brings in thousands of people who agree that worm gruntin' is more than just a fine time.
Martin says, "It's a way of life for a number of people."
