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Sorghum festivals are held in October in southern US states where the grain is grown. Sorghum is a popular grain used in food, sweeteners, and ethanol production. Festivals feature food, music, and entertainment, and last for two weeks with parades and contests.
In the United States, a sorghum festival celebrates the sorghum harvest in the southern states, where the grain is primarily grown. Festivals are generally held in mid to late October. Like other fall harvest festivals held across America, a sorghum festival features food, entertainment, music, and other activities.
Sorghum is a member of the grass family. It has been grown in India for over 4,000 years and was used before rice as a staple food in China. Sorghum has also been an important African crop for centuries. Today the major producers of sorghum are China, India and the United States.
Sorghum is one of the most popular grains in the United States and is a staple in much of the world. Southern states such as Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia are large producers of sorghum. The grain is used in unleavened bread, porridge, pies and malt beverages. It is also used as a sweetener and in the preparation of sorghum syrup, sometimes called sorghum molasses.
The crop has been grown extensively in the United States since the 1800s, with production faltering after World War II. For a period in the mid-1900s, sorghum was grown primarily for forage and for silage, a fermented green fodder stored for feed during times of scarcity. States located in the Great Plains region of the United States grew sorghum primarily to feed livestock. Today, the United States remains a major producer of sorghum.
Sorghum grain is also used as a source of ethanol. It is comparable to corn in the amount of ethanol it produces per bushel. The ethanol industry and agricultural universities continue to study sorghum in an effort to increase its production capacity.
This grain also continues to be important in the communities where it is grown. The state of Georgia has an official sorghum festival in the city of Blairsville that is representative of many festivals throughout the South and parts of the Midwest.
The sorghum festival lasts for two weeks. It begins with a parade featuring floats and a marching band in which parade participants shower onlookers with candy and small gifts. Other festival events include fairground-style contests, where local residents compete for prizes. Entertainment includes Bluegrass music, singing and clog dancers.
At most festivals there will be locals ready to serve visitors some homemade sorghum syrup. Local artists display their paintings and handicrafts, while food stalls serve local food and sorghum sweets. Malted sorghum beer is also generally available. There are a variety of entertainments which include things like fireworks, dances and various competitions.
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