My younger sister, Renee is not a boiled peanut fan. She says they taste like beans. My response to that criticism is always the same: “And that’s a bad thing?”

I had my first boiled peanut in Mobile and fell in love with them, especially the Cajun variety. At the time, I didn’t realize they could be found in anything other than those yellow and green cans at Piggly Wiggly. Imagine my surprise when I learned of Luverne’s peanut boil and festival.

A whole festival dedicated to one of my favorite southern finds? I cannot wait to join in on the fun.

Pat Floyd has almost convinced me the fun is in the preparation. She says everyone has their memories of helping Shriners boil and bag for the big fundraiser. I want to make my own memories. I’m just not sure it needs to be done in 90-degree weather over a boiling pot of green peanuts. Hopefully, the Shriners will break me in slowly and give me bagging duty. Better yet, has the quality control job been taken? It would be my pleasure to sample each batch and report back to the higher-ups.

I’ve heard membership is down in the local Shrine Club. That troubles me for many reasons. If the World’s Largest Peanut Boil is to continue, it will need a new crop of willing boilers, baggers and sellers (Don’t worry about quality control. I’ve got that covered).

More important is the work that comes after the annual fundraiser. The majority of the proceeds stay at home. It’s an insurance policy, of sorts, for every Crenshaw County child. When a local child is seriously injured, Shriners make sure he or she receives the medical care needed.

This is Crenshaw County at its best, a tradition that should never fall by the wayside. There is a part we can all play in keeping this tradition alive. For now, mine will be to help Renee come to her senses and see the beauty of a boiled peanut.

Mona Moore is the editor of The Luverne Journal. She can be contacted at (334) 335-3541 or mona.moore@luvernejournal.com