sorghum1024Final

That smell.

On the way home from helping out the in-laws with some yard work yesterday, we came upon a sight and a smell that made me feel so at home.

As we came through Grassy Creek, we spotted some people making sorghum out in a field.  You could see the pile of sugar cane remnants…all their juices extracted and now boiling over a hot wood fire.  The smell…man, I love that smell.  Hardwood smoke mixed with sweet boiling cane juice.  There is something about the way they mix with the cool fall air that makes me just about as happy as I can be.

We are drawing closer to our annual honoring of this sweet nectar, and I guess everyone is aware that there will be a few changes this year.  All of the food booths and vendors who previously occupied the Commercial Bank parking lot will now be down in the Old Mill Park area.  The covered picnic shelter will serve as the dining area.  All of the musical acts will be at the park, as well.

I am just curious on what your thoughts are about the changes.  Obviously, there weren’t a whole lot of options this year, with the construction of the new bank still ongoing, and  I’m not sure about what the setup might be in future years.  What I’d be curious to know, both from folks who attend and from vendors, is if you are concerned about the setup for this year and for future years.

I am pretty sure I need at LEAST 2 ham biscuits per day in order to keep up my energy, so I will trek over the hill and get them however I have to.  But what about you?

Are you concerned that splitting up the food and vendors will hurt sales for either or both, or do you think there will be little impact?

Would you like to maybe see the WHOLE THING moved down to the Old Mill Park area?

Or do you hope that after construction is finished, all of the food booths can find their way back up to the bank parking lot?

Sound off in the comments below!

the fall sky iPhone 5 | Adjusted in Photoshop

the fall sky
iPhone 5 | Adjusted in Photoshop

  • Ashley Roseberry

    I LOVE the Sorghum Festival…It’s easily my favorite weekend of the year. I love the crowds and the crafts and the parade and ESPECIALLY the food! I understand that it had to be moved this year due to the bank construction…but I do hope that next year things return to normal. I am usually good with change, but when it comes to “traditions”, I want everything to stay the same. I do have concerns about the impact it will have on the crafters and the food vendors. I am in the Woman’s Club and we work for HOURS to make our biscuits, hams, & apple pies. Along with the regular ingredients, we mix in a lot of hard work and LOVE. Those ham biscuits keep us doing what we love…which is helping our community. Hopefully we will have a busy weekend and make a ton of money…I hope that all vendors and crafters have a successful year…I guess we will see how it turns out 🙂

  • http://morganminute.com adminDave

    I’m like you…sort of a traditionalist, especially on the festival, so there’s a part of me that just wants it all to remain on Main Street. However, after sort of looking around during the Market in the Park, it did look like there could be space to put everything down at Old Mill Park, too…the main tent, food, music…all in one spot. I do think that could be sort of a neat experience…maybe the start of a NEW tradition?

    I don’t know. I think there’s a part of me that wishes even the mule could be up on Main Street again, like back in the good ol’ days. And if we could get the Cherokee group back again, there on the end of the tent? I might just fall over from happiness!! =)

  • Andrea Trusty

    I always thought it would be lovely with the tent set up on Riverside drive. Traffic would improve on 460 as well.

  • http://morganminute.com adminDave

    Andrea, I agree. The street is kind of narrow, so it might be that some other type of tent would need to be used if it ran along the actual street, or there is the large parking lot that is down below the picnic shelter. There’s even a paved loop running through the grass there where, potentially, some vendors could set up their own tents outside of the main tent. I think that as long is there is enough publicity about any changes, everything should work out OK. We just don’t want folks passing right through town and ending up over at the Greer flea market and thinking that is the festival. =)