Veler Marcus: There would be a bunch of us children get out and get to playing and one of them would act like Old Granny Hum Bum. She would be all humped over and have a stick. She would come along, and we would say:
“Old Granny Hum Bum,
Where did you come from?”
“Pretty girl’s station” [Granny Hum Bum would answer].
“What’s your occupation…?
Well get to work a’doing it!”
Then she had to do [pantomime] something like sew, chop wood, etc. … Then the rest of us had to guess what she was going. She couldn’t talk. Little old games like that are fun. We had lots of fun.
—Foxfire 6
We played this game when I was a girl in elementary school however there was no Granny Hum Bum and we called it Bum Bum Bum. I’ve also heard it called Pretty Girl Station.
I remember playing the game in the grassy fields that lay below the old Martins Creek School. I’ll share the way I played it as a child and if you played the game a different way please leave a comment and tell about it.
The game begins with a group of kids dividing themselves into teams. Each team makes a long line. The lines face each other leaving a good distance between them.
Each group decides on an occupation they want to portray. A line is picked to go first and it marches towards the other singing: Bum bum bum here we come all the way from Washington.
The singing line stops in front of the other line. The other line yells out a series of questions and the singing line answers:
Where’re you from?
Pretty Girl Station
What your occupation?
Doing things.
Well get to work!
The singing group acts out their chosen occupation. The other line tries to figure out what they are doing and yells out guesses. If someone gets it right the singing group takes off running with the guessing group giving chase. The singing group tries to make it back to their side of the field without being caught. If a person is caught they must join the other group.
The game continues with each side taking turns acting out a chosen occupation.
Last night’s video: Folklore & Signs in Appalachia – From My Highest Hill 3.
Tipper
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This is a new one one me! We got into quite the game of Red Rover during my 4th grade year. Sometimes boys against the girls, sometimes mixed. Also, that same year, my best friend of that school year, Suzy and I got quite daring on the teeter totters. Haha!!! We would land hard and bounce each other high into the hair while we each tried to outdo the other with a stunt. How we survived our 10th year on earth without any broken bones is a miracle!
I watched Katie’s update last night and I’m praying so hard for Papaw Tony and Corie. All of you Acorns needing prayers are on my mind♡
I’ve actually never heard of this game. But it made me smile. The innocence of it and picturing a field full of youngins is heart warming.
good morning God bless you all, did I tell you the doctor gave me antibiotics, because of something seen in my MRI on my brain, I still have not seen the doctor that ordered the test, but his care came forward to the message on to my primary care doctor, she gave me the antibiotics, praise God, God bless Matt’s father, Papaw Tony with deliverance from sickness and disease, heal his body and make him well Lord, in Jesus name I pray today, Amen
Thank you Norman! I’m glad you got some medicine and hope you get more answers soon! I will keep praying!