Monday, October 24, 2011

Syrup Sopping

Saturday was Stretch's final cross country race of the season. After he ran, he was supposed to stay for the rest of the meet and the awards ceremony. Our three younger boys and the little friend that was with us were already getting bored so we headed out to Syrup Sopping Day in Loachapoka to kill a little time.

It was a crisp, clear, perfect autumn morning. At around 9:30 when we arrived, the crowds were already crazy. We had to walk 15-20 minutes from where we parked just to get to town where the event was going on. 

When we arrived I immediately noticed the smells: funnel cakes, candied apples, popcorn, woodsmoke, burnt sugar and horse manure. Some of the little boys didn't appreciate the latter two odors and walked around holding their noses for awhile.

Syrup Sopping Day is kind of a town days festival/ historical fair. Since the early days when the town was settled, farmers have used sorghum and ribbon cane to make cane syrup. We thought it was really interesting to watch the syrup making process.

As near as I could figure out, this is what was happening. Feel free to correct me if I have any part of the process wrong.
This man was in charge of making sure the pressed cane got taken care of.

There was a patch of sugar cane and cotton growing across the street from where they were making the syrup.

We also enjoyed just walking around and seeing the sights. There were lots of booths with people selling stuff, great music, lots of food to enjoy and "an interesting cross section of humanity" (my husband's words) perfect for people watching.
We enjoyed listening to this blue grass band, in particular their rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow".

Q: What's the difference between a banjo and a Harley-Davidson? A: You can tune a Harley. Heh heh.

The biggest disappointment of the day was that neither my husband nor I had any cash on hand since our trip was kind of an impromptu one. We did get samples of kettle corn, homemade jam, and red velvet cupcakes which kept the boys happy, but we will have to actually try cane syrup another day.

Still, it was a perfect way to spend an autumn Saturday. We learned something new, experienced history and spent time together, which are some of our favorite things to do.

P.S. I'm on a 31 day journey to finding joy. Read those posts HERE.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dearest Jill,

We'll try out the jar we picked up at our dinner party this weekend. Sound like a plan?

love love,
Kitty

Anonymous said...

Even just a little something will usually be remembered and cared for.
Read this article to consolidate your personal or perhaps a present to someone else.


Feel free to surf to my webpage :: tag heuer carrera calibre s

Anonymous said...

I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here.

The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish.

nonetheless, you command get bought an edginess over that you wish
be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again
since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this increase.


My page - neutrogena lip balm coupons

Anonymous said...

Memory playѕ an extrеmely essential role within your health and
effectively gettіng. This articlе gives you what ԁetails about
the mеmory yοu should bettеr your memoгу.
Do not let something slip уour thoughtѕ, discover eveгy little thing
you'll be able to!

Here is my web site - Procera Brain

Anonymous said...

Everybοdy enjoуs a bаrgаіn; that is why haircut couρons
are sο exсellent. You'll find plenty of fantastic places to learn haircut coupons minneapolis today, the internet, flyers and the Web. The suggestions and techniques on how to maximize your savings making use of haircut coupons san diego.

Here is my web site ... haircut coupons tucson

Anonymous said...

Evеrybody enјoys а bаrgаіn; that's why wingstop coupons online are so excellent. You will find lots of fantastic locations to learn wingstop cupons these days, the internet, flyers and the World wide web. The tips and techniques on the best way to maximize your savings using wingstop coupons codes.

Anonymous said...

Aге you seeking to save youг сash on groceries and household
things? Τhe prime method to loсatе the ѵеry bеst tеchniquе fог obtaining what уou want at
a low value is to uѕe friendlу ѕ coupоnѕ.
Εxactly whеre саn yοu aρρеar to finԁ these gгеat friеnԁlуs printаble сouρon?
Thiѕ агticlе is going tο
helр гeveal the ѕеcrеts of frienԁly s сouρonѕ.


Μу ρаge - Friendlys ice Cream coupon

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I know thiѕ iѕ κinda off topic
but Ӏ was wondеring which blog ρlаtform are you uѕіng for this website?
Ι'm getting sick and tired of Wordpress because I've had
issues with hacκеrs and I'm looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

Here is my web site: unlock inspire

Anonymous said...

When I initially commented I seem to hаve clіcked on the -Nоtifу
me when nеw commеnts arе adԁеd- checkbox and noω eaсh time a comment is addеd I
gеt 4 еmails wіth the same comment.
Perhaps there iѕ a means you can removе me from
that sеrvice? Сheеrs!

Аlsο vіsit my weblog how to become a phlebotomist in california

Anonymous said...

Many people arе struggling by meаns of theѕе
difficult finanсial ocсasions. There's no fast method to fix your finances, but you will find some strategies that can actually aid. Making use of torrid birthday coupon are a fantastic approach to save funds. The piece that follows offers fantastic information about torrid coupons printable and how you are able to use them skillfully.

My web site - http://extremecouponingonline.net

Anonymous said...

There's definately a great deal to learn about this issue. I like all of the points you made.

My homepage - pharmacy tech schooling