Got A Hankerin' For Some Cane Syrup? Bring Your Best Jackass!

This week proved very interesting.  Between volunteering at Zach's preschool on Wednesday to traveling to Calvary, Ga. to tour a cane syrup making "plant" I would say I haven't been bored.

One of my brother's good friends, Charles Harrison, is the President of the Calvary Lions Club.  Each year they host what many people have heard of and gone to. . .Mule Day.  Calvary is a very tiny town, apparently no stop light even exists there but somehow it draws a huge crowd each year for this event.  I've never been in attendance myself but I've heard of people who wouldn't think of missing it each year.

My brother volunteers to help out Charles with the making of cane syrup that they sell at Mule Day.  They also use the syrup as prizes to games and contests they host like "Who's Got The Best Looking Jackass".  When David told me about it I was intrigued and, of course, wanted to bring my camera.  I really was interested in meeting the people too.  Apparently they take a couple years to warm up to strangers according to my brother but I was sure they would warm up to sweet little ol' me right away.  Ha!  Not really.  Not by a long shot.

We arrived in Mr. Honda with Papa driving and me in the passenger seat.  The boys were being spoiled by Grammy in the backseat.  When we pulled up it was definitely not as "grand" as I was expecting.  I thought the buildings would be larger and I didn't really expect the smell that I smelled when I got out of the car.  When I found my brother I immediately whispered, "WHAT is that smell?"  He pointed out back to a very small pond and said, "probably that!"  No telling what had been dumped in there.

Whenever I came across a person I always spoke very cheerily as I walked by.  Never got a cheery response.  I toured the cane syrup making building and the corn meal building.  There were two men that were standing in the cane syrup making building the entire time I was there and they never spoke a word to me at all.  I guess my charming personality did not make a difference.  Even though they looked at me from head to toe they did not find me worthy enough of them to speak I guess.

Anyways. . . on to the plant.  I've posted a few pictures and will explain as best as I can. . .

The cane is put into this machine (maybe a grinder?) behind my brother.  It squeezes out the cane juice and spits out the stalk apparently. The cane juice goes in a hose on the ground and around to the cane syrup making building. . .

Here's a close up picture of the machine that squeezes the cane juice out. . .

Here is the shoot that gets rid of the cane stalk after it's squeezed. . . 

then it comes through the hose into this building and they do something with it (sorry I guess I wasn't listening close enough!)

then. . . my brother was the bottler!

and. . . the final product ready to give away or sell!

What an interesting day.  I enjoyed seeing Charles again. . . he is the same same same!  Always happy and smiling and laughing.  I think it was a fun trip for the boys and for my parents.  Zach and Chase loved walking around with Uncle David.  Here are a few more special pics. . .

to learn more about Mule Day go here:

http://calvarylionsmuleday.com/

Or better yet. . . visit it TOMORROW!!!!!!!