Mule
Day, (Calvary, Georgia)
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The
Lions Club in Calvary, GA, sponsors an annual Mule Day.
This is a phenomenally successful event, attracting about
600 vendors and tens of thousands of people. A focus of
the day is production of sugar-cane syrup, which they do
with both horse mill & kettle as well as with power
mill and evaporator. Syrup is also produced for several
days leading up to the event. Many people favor their
syrup, and some purchase it by the case. (My thanks to
Mr. Robert Lee for identifying the mills and explaining
the process.) |
(click on
images for full sized picture)
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The
above pictures show the mule-powered set-up and the
typical kettle arrangement. Circumstances did not permit
me to get the number off the mill, but I believe that it
is a #4. |
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The
above pictures show various shots of several men feeding
a Chattanooga # 72, which is rigged to a tractor pto. |
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Above are different views of a
Golden # 36. Note the beads welded onto the worn rollers.
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The
two photos above are of a second Golden # 36. This one is
in operation and feeding juice into a storage vat inside
the evaporator shed. Note the safety shield and the
conveyor for removing bagasse. |
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Above,
a Columbus # 18 mill that was sold by Roddenbery Hardware
Store in Cairo, GA.
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Above
left, the warming pan (foreground) that holds the juice
before it goes into the copper evaporator (background).
Next picture puts the warming pan in the
background and the "syrup end" of the copper
evaporator in the foreground. The third and fourth
pictures are full views of the evaporator pan. |
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Picture
above left, shows syrup coming off. Right, is the
bottling station.
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