| ABAC Museum |
Cultural Tradition
Grinding cane at Georgia Museum of Agriculture by Davis Cobb photos courtesy of the Georgia Museum of Agriculture
Cane grinding remains a popular tradition in South Georgia , partly due to the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture .
Hosted annually in November , the event recreates the historical cane grinding and syrup cooking process commonly practiced in Georgia towns more than 100 years ago .
Vulcan steam train at the Main Street Train Depot
“ There ’ s a science to the process of making cane syrup , growing it , and what it looks like ,” Garrett Boone , GMA director , said . “ Our job as the Museum of Agriculture is to pass that along , help educate people on what that culture was , what that history is and show what that was , what it meant to people .”
While the event is certainly a detailed look into the procedures of crushing cane stalks into juice through a cane mill , then cooking that juice into cane syrup , where Boone sees the value of cane grinding is in the way it brings the community together . “ For the families around here , it ’ s kind of a family gathering , a reunion , neighborhood gathering or communal event ,” Boone said . “ It still is to this day , for families that grind cane and make syrup . That feel is still the same .”
In addition to the members of the community that attend as spectators , the GMA often has numerous volunteers helping run the event . Boone said the museum regularly has a three-generation trio of volunteers assisting in passing on the culture and history of cane grinding .
The sense of community doesn ’ t just stop at Tifton , however , or even Georgia . Boone said the event regularly receives visitors from other towns , states and even countries .
Wanting to contribute to the passion and cheer of the event , the GMA staff hosts other activities alongside the cane grinding , such as musical accompaniment , or providing traditional refreshments and snacks like biscuits and sausage or even samples of the syrup .
8 TiftonScene | SEPTEMBER 2022