By Angie Thompson, Senior Reporter
TIFTON — Performances of the play “Turpentine Jake” along with the “Great Tifton Taste-Off” recipe contest this weekend at the Georgia Agrirama will be the grand finale of events surrounding the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food.”
The Smithsonian exhibition, which theAgrirama has hosted since June, explores the connections between Americans and the foods they produce, prepare and present at the table.
The “Key Ingredients”Georgia tour is a project of the Georgia Humanities Council; the Agrirama is one of 12 tour stops in the state. After this weekend, the exhibit heads to Vidalia.
“Turpentine Jake” is a nationally acclaimed play about life as a black Florida turpentine worker during the 1930s. Acts from the production will be performed in front of the recently restored turn-of-the-century worker’s shanty at the Agrirama. One performance will begin at 7 p.m. Friday and another will be at 4 p.m. Saturday.
A video of the full two-hour production will follow Saturday’s performance. Attendance to both play productions and to the video screening are free; light refreshments celebrating African-American foodways will be served.
“Turpentine Jake” was written by Linda Bannister and James E. Hurd Jr. The play centers around a day in the life of the Florida Turpentine camps of the 1930s, where black workers were enslaved under “debt peonage.” It is the true story of one man who escaped and includes original work songs and folk tales.
Hurd will play the lead role in the performances this weekend and Bannister will also be on hand at the Agrirama.
The “Great Tifton Taste-Off,” sponsored by The Tifton Gazette, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Agrirama conference room. Recipes entered in the Gazette’s annual contest will be judged and will be available for tasting afterward.
This year, a special category for Old Family Recipes has been added and those recipes, along with their related stories, will be included in a recipe database, viewable at the Agrirama.
Other recipe categories being judged this year include Salads, Breads, Vegetables, Meats, Desserts and Cookies/Candy. Prizes will be awarded in each recipe category and first, second and third grand prizes will be awarded from among all of the winning entries. Prizes include cookware and gift certificates.
All recipes entered in the Great Tifton Taste-Off will be published in the Gazette during August. The public is invited to attend the event and taste free samples of the dishes.
The “Key Ingredients” Smithsonian exhibit remains open a the Agrirama between now and Saturday. Through a selection of artifacts, photographs and illustrations, the exhibit examines the evolution of the American kitchen. It also looks beyond the home to illustrate how Americans gain a sense of community through the meals that they eat, providing a glimpse at the traditions that merge in everyday meals and celebrations.
The exhibit features displays depicting local and regional traditions to add local flavor to the larger, national-themed exhibition. Tifton’s exhibit includes special displays on community canning, organic gardening, the farmer’s market and more.
The exhibit is hosted statewide by the Georgia Humanities Council. Local sponsors include the Georgia Agrirama, The Tifton Gazette, Georgia Organics, Tifton Terminal Railway Museum, Tifton Farmers’ Market, the University of Georgia, the Tift County Canning Plant, the Georgia Egg Commission, the Georgia Peanut Commission, the National Peanut Buyer’s Point Association, Tift County 4-H and FFA, the Georgia Watermelon Association and Kohl Players.
To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.
