The Worm Gruntin’ Festival first drew my eye to the small town of Sopchoppy, Florida, located between Tallahassee and the Gulf of Mexico. I had no idea what it was, but it sounded weirdly fun.
Worm Gruntin’ is an ancient technique to get earthworms up from the ground. A wooden stake—a “stob”—is pounded into the ground. Then the “grunters” use a length of iron to rub the top of the stake. This process creates a grunting sound underground and gets those worms riled up enough to come to the surface. During the festival, contestants in the contest create their own stakes and “roopin’” irons.
Locals often use this method to capture earthworms for fishing and then sell them to area bait shops. And there are many of those for good reasons. There are ample opportunities for fishing all around the small village.
So, what better way to bring more tourists to town and to honor this old tradition? Start a festival, which features a contest for worm grunters, vendors, music and at the end of the day a Grunters’ Ball with live music and dancing at the Civic Brewing & Pizza Co.
Begun in 2001, the festival has been featured on national television and has made the town famous. This year’s event happens on Saturday April 12 with the contest and 5K run happening early in the morning. The entire event is free and open to the public.
The water and its excellent opportunity for fishing brings folks to Sopchoppy, which is located on the eastern bank of the Sopchoppy River as it flows to the nearby Ochlocknee River shortly before it widens and becomes Ochlocknee Bay and empties into the Gulf.
Tourists come from around the world to fish in the nearby fresh and salt waters. We kayaked a small portion of the Sopchoppy River recently. We launched from the City Park and paddled upstream for three miles before turning around. The current is slow in this section with several sharp turns. At the headwaters, the river is a squiggly line on the map. As it goes further downstream from the town, it widens and can be effected by the tides from the Ochlocknee.
On our little two-hour excursion, we saw only a handful of houses and passed two other kayakers. The wild azaleas were in full bloom, which created a beautiful and peaceful respite from the crazy world.
When we finished, we developed a mighty thirst, so thank goodness for the Civic Brewing & Pizza Co. in the downtown area across from city hall, which opened in 2021. It’s been a great addition to Sopchoppy.
Elliot Seidler and his sister, Taylor Seidler, are both Sopchoppy natives who left home as young adults—him to the Navy and her to Boston—when their paths converged on the craft brewery concept. They could have gone anywhere to start it, but they chose to come home. And I for one am happy they did! Every beer we’ve enjoyed there has been top notch. I even tried something way out of my usual tastes after the kayak trip—a white chocolate vanilla wit. Still smacking my lips.
And on April 12, it will host the Grunters’ Ball after all the excitement of the Worm Gruntin’ Festival. Life is good in Sopchoppy, Florida.
Tortoise Stew by P.C. Zick
A wild and raucous ride through the crazy world of small town Florida politics. Political satire filled with murder, mystery, suspense, and vengeful antagonists. And women who fight from home and the workplace.
Available in Kindle (free download with Kindle Unlimited), paperback, and audio.
P.C. ZICK 