BY MICHELLE KEY
PUBLISHER
LOACHAPOKA — More than five decades after beginning as a small local heritage event, Syrup Sopping Day continues to bring thousands of visitors to Loachapoka each fall for a day centered on history, food, traditional skills and community.
The event began in 1971 as the Lee County Historical Fair. The following year, cane syrup making was added as a demonstration, and Syrup Sopping Day in Loachapoka was born.
Over the years, the event evolved from a smaller harvest celebration into one of the area’s largest fall festivals while retaining its focus on traditional syrup making and pioneer-era skills.
Today, Syrup Sopping Day is the Lee County Historical Society’s primary fundraiser. Income from food sales at the Cookhouse, syrup sales and vendor-space rentals helps maintain Pioneer Park’s historic buildings and grounds and supports year-round programming.
“Syrup Sopping Day enables us to ultimately give back to the community,” organizers said.
This year’s Syrup Sopping Day will be held Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka.
Visitors who want to see the syrup-making process from beginning to end are encouraged to arrive early. The same advice applies to anyone hoping to get one of the event’s popular sweet potato biscuits.
The Cookhouse will begin the day serving sweet potato biscuits with or without sausage and cane syrup. As lunchtime approaches, volunteers will switch to campfire stew, along with cornbread, greens and pinto beans. Sweet potato fritters are another longtime favorite.
At the center of the festival is the traditional process of making cane syrup.
Sugar cane grown at Pioneer Park is harvested and taken to the mill, where stalks are crushed to release their juice. Historically, a mule, donkey or draft horse would walk in a circle to power the press.
The juice is strained and then slowly cooked in a large kettle or pan until it thickens into syrup. Roughly 10 gallons of cane juice are needed to produce one gallon of syrup.
“Go too long and you’re on to molasses, but that’s another story,” organizers said.
Throughout the day, Pioneer Park’s historic buildings will become working exhibits.
Visitors can see blacksmithing, farm equipment, fiber arts, a one-room schoolhouse, a historic doctor’s office and Native American demonstrations. Traditional activities will also include open-fire cooking, sweet potato and sugar cane harvesting, weaving, knitting, quilting, broom making, grain grinding, rope making and woodworking.
Creek Native American stomp dancers are scheduled to perform during the day, with two additional representatives from the Oklahoma Creek Nation expected to participate this year.
Organizers said the historic buildings are what set Syrup Sopping Day apart from a typical arts and crafts festival.
“Without them, this event would just be a nice but standard crafts fair,” they said. “Being able to utilize the historic buildings and exhibits makes it an opportunity for families to come, enjoy, participate, learn and celebrate community.”
Children will also have plenty of opportunities to participate, including rope making, grain grinding, cutting and tasting sugar cane, harvesting sweet potatoes, cotton ginning and other hands-on activities.
Because Syrup Sopping Day falls on Oct. 31 this year, organizers are encouraging visitors to wear family-friendly, pioneer-era costumes. A children’s costume contest is also being planned.
More than 130 vendors are expected throughout Pioneer Park and in the area across Alabama Highway 14 near the railroad tracks. Vendors will offer food, arts and crafts, holiday merchandise, jewelry, clothing, pottery, candles, woodworking, knitted goods and other items.
Music will continue throughout the day at the pavilion, with performers ranging from bluegrass and gospel to country and traditional dulcimer music.
Although there is no exact attendance count, organizers estimate that favorable weather can bring as many as 20,000 visitors to Loachapoka for the festival.
Putting on an event of that size depends heavily on volunteers. More than 200 community members volunteered alongside Lee County Historical Society members last year.
“So many of our activities depend upon who is available and what they bring to the table,” organizers said. “We love it when folks step up, share their knowledge and talents and suggest new things for us to try.”
Planning for each Syrup Sopping Day begins almost immediately after the previous event ends. The date is traditionally set for a Saturday in October, with organizers considering both Auburn University’s football schedule and when the sugar cane will be ready for harvest.
Parking will be available at designated locations, including some free roadside parking and private lots where property owners may charge a fee. Shuttle buses will run from several locations. Limited handicapped parking will be available along the road in front of the Tradecenter.
All Lee County Historical Society exhibits and activities at Pioneer Park are free.
First-time visitors are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and arrive ready to participate.
The larger goal, organizers said, is for visitors to leave with a greater appreciation for the history of Lee County.
“This is an area rich in culture,” they said. “It has a history worth remembering, sharing and celebrating.”
“The harvest is soon upon us,” organizers added. “It’s almost time to gather together, combine our resources and make syrup.”
