One of the nicest Thanksgiving traditions in The Times and Democrat Region takes place every year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving in Bamberg.

It's basically a big party, where a bunch of people cook up a smorgasbord. The menu varies a little each year but some of the delicacies that have been served in the past include fried alligator tail, whole-hog barbecue, boiled shrimp, steamed oysters, catfish stew, cubed venison steak, chicken bog, fried quail, stone-ground grits, onion rings, slaw, homemade lemonade, roasted and boiled peanuts and delicious desserts prepared by some of Bamberg County's best cooks.

The popular event, the Wild Game Banquet, was started 17 years ago by Clemson Extension Service and other agricultural agencies in the county as part of the National Farm-City observance. It's proved to a great way to bring the people of Bamberg County together to celebrate the harvest and the blessings of nature's bounty.

It was certainly one of my favorite events to cover during the 13 years I worked as the editor of the county's weekly newspaper.

When the weather is good, the outdoor feast draws as many as 1,500 participants from throughout Bamberg County as well as other counties. Last year, ice and sheet reduced the crowd to about 800 hearty souls. I remember practically getting frostbite at one Wild Game Banquet many years ago, but it wasn't bad enough to make me leave my place in line as I looked forward to warming up with Doc Bishop's famous chicken bog.

Despite the extraordinary undertaking it represents, the Wild Game Banquet is still going strong and is all set to provide plenty of food, fellowship and fun again this year on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Edisto Electric Cooperative. Entertainment will be provide by a bluegrass-country gospel band.

What's truly amazing is that many of the volunteers who were involved in the first Wild Game Banquet 17 years ago are still involved with the event today. There are too many of them to try to name, but somebody ought to nominate the surviving members of the inaugural Wild Game Banquet Committee as next year's Bamberg County Chamber of Commerce Waddy Thompson Citizens of the Year.

Another amazing thing about the Wild Game Banquet is that admission is free. We all know there's not much left in this world that's free. Try going to a restaurant and eating the kind of feast that's served up at the Wild Game Banquet, and you'd have to take out a bank loan to pay the check.

The event has a number of sponsors but can still use more, and while some individuals drop donations into the collection box the night of the event, more donations certainly wouldn't hurt.

I miss many of the people I used to work with and see on a daily basis in Bamberg County, and I really miss the Wild Game Banquet because I haven't been able to attend in several years and probably won't make it this year, either. Those who get to attend this special event are very lucky people.

Hopefully, the Wild Game Banquet will be around for many, many years to come. It's a great way for a community to come together to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I applaud those responsible for making it happen each year.

T&D Region Editor Carol Barker can be reached by e-mail at cbarker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5525. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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