Posted by Bruce Bilmes and Sue Boyle
, September 25, 2008 10:06
Photo from Granny Sue’s blog
Molasses, West-Virginia-style, is not made from sugar cane but, rather, from sweet sorghum. The part of the plant that’s used to make sorghum molasses is also called sugar cane by many local folk, and it looks a lot like cane too. The process is an old country ritual, and the resulting syrup is an old country taste, and one you can enjoy at this week’s 41st West Virginia Molasses Festival in Arnoldsburg. You can watch the whole molasses-making procedure, from squeezing to jarring; the end product is sold in the festival’s country store.
There will also be a sausage and pancake supper, a cake walk, a cook-off, and a chicken BBQ. Activities include the crowning of the king and queen, a baby contest, gospel, country, Christian, and fiddle music, a rubber ducky race, the big parade, games for kids, karaoke, exhibits, and a quilt drawing. The Hur Herald has a brief article and a tentative festival schedule. The Calhoun Chronicle has an interesting story about the festival and traditional molasses-making, as does Granny Sue’s website. We recommend a visit to both sites. It’s fascinating stuff.
