OL’ DAYS COME TO LIFE

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Thomas County Central High School Marching Yellow Jacket Band, including the drumline, took part in the parade. Teresa Williams/Times-Enterprise

November 14, 2009

Teresa Williams The Times Enterprise Sat Nov 14, 2009, 09:22 PM EST

OCHLOCKNEE — Greasy food, cane syrup, living history and plenty of old-timey fun were at the heart of Saturday’s 33rd annual Old South Day in Ochlocknee.

The day featured a parade, living history museum, some live entertainment, and a variety of food and arts and crafts vendors.

Allayna Sanders, 6, enjoyed a pony ride on the Old South Day grounds.

“It was fun,” she said. “It’s what I wanted to do today.”

Allen and Judy Hayes helped entertain visitors at the Old South Day Living History Museum.

Dressed in period garb, they manned the old house and farm equipment outside, including a couple of corn shellers.

“We try to do something different every year,” Allen Hayes said. “We’ve had a pretty good crowd so far. A lot of people have never seen this equipment before.”

The old-fashioned cane mill, where volunteers make the Old South Day Cane Syrup each year, was already out of the sticky substance by lunch.

Many of the vendors were first-time Old South Day participants.

Kim Drawdy, of Dublin, sold wooden statues with solar lights, mostly made by her husband.

“This is our first time here,” she said. “A friend of ours has a booth here and told us about it. It has gone pretty good, so far. We’re pretty new at this; we just started in March. But, I think the event is pretty neat.”

Moise Nguekeng, of Atlanta, was employed at one of the food booths, Greek Tavern, where items included gyros and sausages.

“This is my first time here,” he said. “I think business is starting to pick up.”

Grandmother Phillisa Johnson brought her two young grandkids to the event.

“I like coming out to see all the different vendors,” she said. “You don’t see them all together like this all year. It is just a fun time.”