Sorghum Days

 

Forrest and Janice Austin hosted Sorghum Days each fall from 1978 until 1985. Gramps grew sorghum on a patch of land at Shagbark, north of Afton. He and Granny invited the public to come watch the leaves being stripped, the canes put through the sorghum press and the cooking process done in a big flat tin and wood 'pan'. Some years 600 or 700 people would attend. All of the children helped when and how they could and the grandchildren pitched in on the fun jobs.  

 

Gary Lewis would display his Indian artifacts. Sheila, as she got older, played the Dulcimer.  Rob always had to help weed the Sorghum patch, sometimes right down on his hands and knees. 

Alan and Kathy had an apple cider press and made and sold cider.  They gave samples and sold it by the jug. Some years, folks brought their own apples and cider was made on the shares. Alan and Kathy pressed the apples for the apple owners but kept "a share" for their labor.

Gary Lewis, Steve, Dick and Marion helped Gramps cut, press and cook the sorghum. Chuck and Gary Lee made rope the old fashioned way. Linda helped "man" the General Store and sold macrame necklaces and other art.

 

I'm not sure what Erica and I were studying in this photo taken in the Cook Shack. 

 

Lanny and I made bean soup at home and then we'd keep it warm on the camp fire.  Beth and I ran the soup kitchen and I think Beth brought corn bread.  Of course, each year the festival evolved and roles were rearranged and re-defined. 

 

 

There was usually some kind of music making going on. 

Fiddles, guitars, dulcimers. 

Gramps loved the music making. 

 

 

We all dressed up in our old time clothes. 

Kristy, I just gave that skirt away! 

I didn't think it was ours.  Aunt Mary has it now. 

Did Patty Wilson make it?  Do you want it back? 

 

'Anna needed a little quiet time; probably needed her nap
 or the big kids were running away from her. 

Funny about names, when Johanna was little, a baby, I started calling her 'Anna.  Later, it was Ann.  Then back to Johanna.  Then Hannah.  Some- times in there, people called her Jo. and JoJo but I always said JoJo sounded like a trained monkey. Don't forget Johanna Banana and the Jo aniter.  

 

It was always a good day if a child could get a ride on a horse. 

Kate baked biscuits in the old wood stove and Virginia helped.  They also made sausage gravy for breakfast.  The biscuits and sorghum were the most popular . . . and they were free. 

Long-legged Gary Lewis is putting sorghum cane through the Press.   

 

And why wasn't Craig in any of these pictures? 

 

He was tearing thru 80 acres and swimming in the creek . . .

 

or in this case, trying his hand at sawing a log.