Have a sweet tooth? Grab your friends and family and come on out to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and take part in a traditional sugar cane boil at the historic Chesser Island Homestead. Visitors can assist with the grinding of sugar cane using a traditional mule-powered grinder and sample the sweet cane juice produced in its purest form. Then stick around and watch as the vat of juice is boiled down to make authentic cane syrup – the perfect addition to any kitchen table and try the syrup on homemade biscuits baked on the wood stove! In addition to witnessing a hands-on demonstration of the early techniques used to process sugar cane, visitors will get a glimpse into the life of the “Swamper” families that pioneered the Okefenokee Swamp. Sugar cane was an important staple for families homesteading the Okefenokee frontier. Most of these “Swamper” families made extensive use of sugar cane and cane-related products such as cane syrup and wax. Sugar cane still continues to be used today for a variety of purposes; it is often used as a preservative for fruits and meats and its numerous medicinal properties make it a staple in many households. A five dollar refuge entrance fee is required, unless visitors possess an America the Beautiful Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass, Refuge Annual Pass, or Duck Stamp.