Lawrence County residents can take a step back in time this month and enjoy some good eating at the 5th annual Old Fashion Sorghum Festival Sept.

Wednesday, September 15, 1999

Lawrence County residents can take a step back in time this month and enjoy some good eating at the 5th annual Old Fashion Sorghum Festival Sept. 25 and 26 in Wilgus on Ohio 141, 20 miles north of Ironton.

Festivalgoers will not only get a chance to see how sorghum and apple butter are made, but also can take a draft horse wagon ride, listen to some musical entertainment or pet some animals at a petting zoo.

There also will be lots of good food, including baked goods, homemade jelly and jam, gourds, pumpkins and Indian corn; craft shops; a blacksmith shop; and a draft horse colt raffle.

The festival will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday with a Cross-Cut Sawing Contest. There will be two classes – two-man and mixed. Prizes will be $15, $10 and $5.

The Draft Horse Plowing Contest will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday. The classes will include team walking, team riding, three-horse walking and riding plow. Prizes will range from $5 to $30 in $5 increments. There is no entry fee.

Registration deadline for all pumpkins, squash and gourds must is 5 p.m. Saturday. There will be a largest pumpkin or squash contest; a pumpkin or squash decorating contest, no carving allowed; and a largest gourd contest, which will be judged by weight.

Lawrence County cooks who want to participated should bring their baked goods – pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake or one dozen sorghum cookies – to the festival by 3 p.m. Saturday for judging. Cash prizes for the contest include $15, $10, $7, $5 and $3. Winning baked goods will later be auctioned by the Draft Horse Club.

Judges will look for the most artistic faces beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday during the largest Jack O’Lantern Pumpkin contest. The largest ear of corn also will be judged at this time, and prizes will be $5, $4, $3, $2 and $1.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, Lawrence County cooks will find out how they measure up during the baking contest winners are announced. The auction will follow.

The festival begins noon Sunday with the Draft Horse Halter Classes. Competitors will be judged in an obstacle course, feed pull, junior obstacle course or wagon class. Prizes for the contest range from $10 to $2 in $2 increments.

Pumpkin weigh-in begins at 5 p.m. Prizes are $40, $30, $25, $20, $15, $10 and $5.

Gourds also will be weighed at 5 p.m., with prizes of $10, $8, $6 and $4.

The judging of the pumpkin contest will begin at 5 p.m., too. Prizes will be $15, $10, $7, $5 and $3.

All winning pumpkins, squash and gourds receiving prize money also will become the property of the draft horse club and remanded to the auctioning block at 5:30 p.m.

The festival will conclude at 6 p.m. with a Draft Horse Colt Drawing.

And, of course, sorghum will be for sale throughout the festival for $6 a quart and $3 a pint.

The event is sponsored by the Lawrence County Draft Horse Association.

People may call 643-2196 for more information.