'tis the Season, again. No, not Santa, Jingle Bells, and Christmas. Rather, now that Spring has made its debut and the weather is (usually) warmer, it's time for the Southern 'ritual' of "Dinner on the Grounds". For the uninitiated, it is neither the evening meal nor is it literally 'on the ground'.
Celebrated mostly in rural and small-town Southern churches, Dinner on the Grounds is usually a staple of such events as 'Homecoming' , 'Memorial Day', or 'Decoration Day' (placing flowers on the graves of family members). The name likely originated with people spreading blankets for picnics on the church ground.
Now the bountiful feast is on folding tables and sometimes under a shelter. After the Benediction signals the end of the church service, everyone heads to the homemade delicacies (Occasionally someone will sneak in a 'store bought' item) such as fried chicken, fresh vegetables prepared in several ways, deviled eggs, sweet iced tea, casseroles of various kinds, and DESSERTS galore. (One of my all-time favorites was Mrs. Loucilla Chilton's fresh strawberry cake).
And the minister is often encouraged to sample Mrs. So and So's speciality. How many kinds of fried chicken can one accommodate ? Postures for eating ranged from seats at a table to standing while balancing plate in one hand and keeping a close eye on one's nearby beverage.
In his television documentary North Carolina is My Home, Charles Kuralt had a segment showing a Homecoming at Rountree Christian Church near Ayden, North Carolina. The musical accompaniment by jazz pianist Loonis McLohon, a native of Ayden, was originally Dinner on the Grounds at Rountree. Old-timers told me that his parents often brought him to the church when he was a youth. (To hear the version used in the t.v. program, search the internet.) Having been minister to that congregation from 1980-84, I recognized many people. (For purposes of the program, many non-members participated in order to boost the numbers, I suppose.)
Largely absent now is the post-meal singing. Various groups rotated segments of their repertoires. (Hear the late Reverend Grady Nutt's You Tube "All Day Singing and Dinner on the Grounds".)
As a teenager, I often heard a Native American family's energetic performances. The son, Joel, who was approximately my age became overly zealous on one occasion only to have his father stop their song and admonish him to stop showing off.
It was considered a compliment for a cook to carry home an empty dish as that meant the item was popular and often had disappeared before the unlucky people at the back of the line had had their chance.
Once at Rountree, a person unknown to anyone came well after the meal was over and began preparing 'take out', telling a somewhat overwrought story of her needy family. The food was freely given. And,it was well known at _________ Church that _________ always returned home with more food in their basket than had been earlier brought.
In many instances, quite likely the day had its appropriate ending with a late afternoon nap, with 'visions of home-cooked goodies dancing in our heads'.
Satchel
Bravo, "Satchell," you have here perfectly captured one of the most wonderful, captivating features of Southern Culture. As kids, some of my buds and I used to refer to this sacred practice as "all-day dinner and preaching on the grounds," thus pointing out one minor modification in how it is done that we would have gladly recommended.
ReplyDeleteLearned a new term today! But I have a hunch a local version of this exists everywhere. Nice to see a mention of Kuralt again too!
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