Ever wonder what worm racing is? Just ask a Buffalo Rambler. On Oct. 21, the Buffalo Ramblers will drive to Banner Elk, NC, to experience the 40th Annual Woolly Worm Festival; after the race, the Ramblers will hike up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Rough Ridge — a two mile round-trip.
The plan is to depart from Hart Hall at 9 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. Students are advised to bring sturdy shoes, water and a snack. The club will provide transportation, so students should bring money for lunch and admission, which is $6. Don’t worry, the Ramblers will provide the worms.
Aside from woolly worm racing, the festival offers food trucks, vendors and artisans.
The Woolly Worm Festival is a traditional worm race up a 3-foot piece of string. In Groundhog Day fashion, the winner worm predicts the winter weather according to the amount of brown and black it wears. Those participating in the race buy or bring their own woolly worm, which is a brown and black fuzzy worm, and then name it. Last year’s winner worm was named Hans Solo, and Buffalo Rambler leader Rebecca Miller had fun naming one of hers Woolly Wonka.
To win the $1000 cash prize, your worm has to beat 25 others in the first round and then move on to the semifinals of eight worms before competing in the final round. Last year’s festival saw 1000 contestants, so be prepared to lose to children earnestly cheering Merryweather up her string.
The Buffalo Ramblers club has been around for awhile. Roger Clites (class of ‘50) formed the group in the ‘50s. And even before the group became official, students took advantage of the outdoors in group hikes of their own. Milligan founder Josephus Hopwood led students up Buffalo Mountain in 1884.
Jeff Miller, professor of Bible, has been in charge of the Buffalo Ramblers for the past few years, but this semester he passed it on to Rebecca Miller, a Masters of Bible student at Emmanuel.
Rebecca Miller says she would like the group to branch out and offer activities beyond hiking, such as caving, biking, climbing, kayaking, sunset watching, stargazing and camping.
Dr. Greg Matthias, the Milligan faculty advisor for the Buffalo Ramblers, wants to get the word out about the club, “because Milligan students need to experience God’s naturalistic splendor right in our own backyard!”
Before any Buffalo Ramblers outing, always make sure to check the weather and wear appropriate clothing and shoes. Rebecca Miller hopes to offer a caving trip as the next event. Email her at rpmiller@my.milligan.edu if you would like to get involved or have any questions or suggestions. Check out the Buffalo Ramblers’ Facebook page for more information.
To learn more about this southern tradition, check out the festival’s site. It may sound ridiculous, but it is an exhilarating feeling watching your worm inch its way up that string.