Making the mollygrubs fade away
Chances are not one reader in a hundred will recognize the word “mollygrubs,” but as a boy it is one I heard frequently this time of year.
It’s a traditional Appalachian word meaning depression, having the blues, or being down in the dumps.
My grandfather would often say, on a gray day this time of year when a body didn’t want to do much but stay close to a warm fire, that “it’s a good thing February is the shortest month. I don’t know how anyone could stand more of it. It’s a time of “miseries” – his catch-all phrase for anything from arthritis to a head cold – and the mollygrubs.
Mind you, Grandpa Joe was too much of an upbeat soul to remain pessimistic for long, and soon he would shrug his shoulders and say something to the effect of “I reckon what we need is a good session of dreamin’ and schemin’.”
He’d get out the “wish book” – as the Sears & Roebuck catalog was commonly called – and we’d spend some pleasant time wishing we had various pieces of sporting gear. Then, and this was the part of our rocking chair sessions I liked best, we would turn to talking about what we would do once spring finally arrived.
How I wish, looking back, that Grandpa could have had a bit of exposure to what the sportsman has on offer this time of year in today’s world. February and March remain a time for looking ahead, but now we have all sorts of gatherings to heighten our anticipation and to share joys with fellow sportsmen.
A prime example is the Third Annual Sportsman’s Banquet hosted by Outdoor Christian Ministry on Feb. 21. The event is at Chester Freedom Ministries, 729 Village Drive in Chester. It begins at 4:30 p.m. Vendors will be on hand throughout the event, a hearty meal will be served from 5 to 6:30 p. m., and local sporting legend Rog Rodgers will share testimony about what the wonderful world of the outdoors has meant in shaping his life and his faith. The $20 admission not only buys dinner, but also a chance to win numerous door prizes.
This is a grand opportunity for some wholesome Christian fellowship, a time to look ahead to the coming glories of spring, and to browse some of what is new and noteworthy in the latest sporting equipment. This event sold out its first two years, so planning ahead is advised.
Tickets are available at Nichols Store and Farmers Exchange in Rock Hill, Sam’s Equipment and G-Mart in Chester, Jamie K’s in Fort Lawn, Team Carolina Powersports in Lancaster, and Country Omelet in Richburg. For tickets or additional information, call 803-367-1213 or go to www.Outdoorchristianministry.com.
Die-hard turkey hunters have a chance next weekend to attend one of the biggest annual gatherings of sportsmen anywhere in the country. The National Wild Turkey Federation’s annual convention will be held at Opryland in Nashville Feb. 13-15.
If you’ve never been you owe it to yourself to attend one time and join roughly 40,000 other turkey hunters in browsing the displays of close to a thousand vendors, attending a variety of free seminars, listening to calling competitions, meeting big names in the outdoor world, and generally being a part of a grand hullabaloo.
If Nashville is too long a haul, the same three days will see the upscale sportsman’s gathering South Carolina calls its own, the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, in Charleston. As with the National Wild Turkey Federation’s event, if you’ve never attended one it’s a “must” experience for the enthusiastic outdoorsman.
Closer to home the local National Wild Turkey Federation chapter will be having its annual banquet on March 12. March will also see the annual Palmetto Sportsman’s Classic in Columbia on March 27-29.
The coming weeks will provide ample opportunities to dream and scheme, and those glad sessions of planning can be enjoyed in settings far more convivial that the days when Grandpa and I sat down with a mail order catalog. By attending an event of two this time of year, the joys of greening-up spring seem closer and the mollygrubs of winter fade away.
This story was originally published February 7, 2015 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Making the mollygrubs fade away ."