Although Syrup Sopping Day and the Lee County Historical Fair are two separate events, they work together every October to bring thousands of people to the tiny town of Loachapoka, which has a population of less than 200.
This year, the festivities were held Oct. 30.
Separated by Alabama Highway 14, the two events possess different attractions--Syrup Sopping Day with its endless vendors selling everything from candles to Christian T-shirts, and the Historical Fair with its Colonial demonstrations, old-fashioned music and authentic Lee County artifacts.
The Historical Fair began first and has been an annual Loachapoka event in October for 39 years, said Deborah McCord, president of the Lee County Historical Society.
"The purpose of the Historical Fair is to invite people in to see the old-time crafts and to let them experience what pioneer life was like in Alabama back in the mid-1800s," McCord said. "The syrup is not the main thing. The syrup was brought in just because it was something that farmers did in the fall, so we thought, 'Well that would be a good way to bring people in.'"
Some people prefer the Historical Fair to Syrup Sopping Day.
"I think it feeds the senses," said 28-year attendee Marty Hoerr of Auburn. "There's history here. People are selling their wares they made--it just embraces so much of human life in this festival. I think it's fed a lot of people's passions."
Others, like Brittany Quinn, 23, of Beauregard, choose to attend only the Syrup Sopping Festival every year.
Quinn said she has been coming to the Syrup Sopping Festival her entire life.
She now brings her 2-year-old daughter, Mackayla LeGear.
Quinn said her favorite part of the day is the selection of Dixie Outfitters' shirts, University of Alabama merchandise and funnel cakes.
Of course, she also loves the Hardee's biscuits served with syrup.
"The syrup and the biscuits is awesome," Quinn said. "We always get a whole bunch of jars of the syrup and bring it back."
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