Perhaps, most of those who came licking their chops in anticipation of squirrel stew, coon hash, alligator tails, pond fish and all the trimmings didn’t know that the wildlife dinners originated nearly a century ago along the river banks of Josie Beat.

But James Henderson knew and, as he stirred the pot of simmering squirrel stew, he shared the story of how the wildlife dinners actually got started.

“Back around 1926, Kirkland Green brought his family together at least twice a year for outdoor eatings.” Henderson said. “Back then, the men up around Josie Beat would get up real early in the morning of the squirrel stews and go down to the river and shoot a batch of squirrels. Then, they would set up washpots to cook the squirrels to make squirrel stew.”

While some of the men were keeping fries going under the pots, Henderson said others would be hauling spreading tables down to the river. In late afternoon, the women would arrive with the trimmings expected at a squirrel stew.

“If they didn’t finished eating before dark, they had gas torches to lead them out of the woods,” Henderson said. “Back then, those gatherings were called squirrel stews. Now, we call them wild game dinners because we have a lot more good things to eat than squirrels.”

Henderson, Brady Austin and dinner host, Atlas Green, take charge of making the squirrel stew at the wild game dinners. But it was Henderson who was stirring the pot and strowing the story on Saturday.

“It was in the late 1960s that the squirrel stews were move to Tarentum,” Henderson said. “The first location was at Ray Goodson’s old home place somewhere between Springhill and Tarentum. I remember that in addition to the squirrel stew, people brought doves and we fried them in cooking baskets like deep fryers. We’d put tables everywhere even down the hallway of the house.”

The squirrel suppers became wildlife dinners and move to the Knox Green property at Tarentum.

Henderson said this year’s squirrels – about 30 of them — were “imported” from Crenshaw County, at a little place called Pattsburg.

“Cooking squirrel stew takes a good long time,” Henderson said. “You have to clean the squirrels and make sure you get all the hair off. Then you put them on the chop block and cut them up in quarters. Some people put the heads in the stew but we don’t do that. You have to crack open the heads open so we just don’t put the heads in the stew.”

Neither does Henderson put in ribs.

“A squirrel’s ribs are small and could get caught in somebody’s throat,” he said. “After the squirrels have cooked for an hour or more, you cut up the onions and let them cook. Then, you put in bacon strips. The onions and bacon strips take the wild out of the meat.”

With all of that done, Henderson said two types of pepper are added, black and red.

“You have to be careful with the pepper because once you put it in, you can’t take it out,” he said. “Then you put in the crackers. They soak up the extra soup in the stew. Then, you’re ready to eat.”

By that time, the “aroma” of the squirrel stew has called people to the dinner table and a line is forming.

The chatter that is a hallmark of a gathering such as a squirrel stew or wild game dinner has quieted at the eating begins.

“And a good time was had by all,” Henderson said.