Devyn LeBlanc
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Saturday, Oct. 2, I made my way to The Gathering Place at Ragan's Family Campground to cover what was supposed to be a pastor appreciation dinner. When I pulled up and parked my car, there were two gentlemen grilling some delicious smelling food. They both looked at me with confusion, but didn't say a word. One of them gave me a thumbs up, and of course, I reciprocated. I had never been to Ragan’s Campground before, so I felt out of place, and it didn't help that these two gentlemen kept staring at me with confusion while shrugging their shoulders. I didn't understand what was going on until I noticed that the gentleman who gave me the thumbs up, who's name I later learned is Wade, was wearing what looked to be either a cochlear implant or a hearing aid. I quickly realized that they were deaf, so I scrambled to grab my phone, go to the notes section and type out my reason for being there. I thought “okay, they just didn't know why a strange woman with a camera showed up uninvited.” Well, that was not the case.
Mr. Wade looked at me with even more confusion and I was mortified. I guess I too made a face, because he quickly led me inside to show a very kind woman, Monica, what I had typed out on my phone. She had no clue what I was talking about, so I pulled up the flyer on my phone to show her. She was still confused, and signed for someone to grab Simone Hill, a speaking member of their group. Hill approached me and asked for more clarification. I showed her the flyer, while briefly explaining my reason for being there. As I spoke, Hill translated in American Sign Language (ASL) for the others. Ms. Monica explained that she had rented The Gathering Place to host a dinner and raffle for those who are hard of hearing, Deaf Alligator Roast is what she called it.
As I was sitting at a table, waiting for the raffle to start, Hill approached me and said, “I'm sorry, this must be so weird for you.” I was shocked that she felt the need to apologize because I didn't know how to read ASL. I didn't need to know what everyone was saying, the energy in the building said it all. There were so many smiles, coupled with laughter and joy, that it filled the air. It was mesmerizing.
This was their first Deaf Alligator Roast, and although the turnout wasn't as big as she hoped, Ms. Monica is going to do this annually. The purpose of the event is to raise money and awareness, as well as create a group allowing people from all across North Florida that are hard of hearing to get together and socialize. The next Deaf Alligator Roast will be held on Oct. 15, 2022, at 5 p.m. It will be held at The Gathering Place at Ragan's Family Campground, located in Madison.