Elder speaks to Kiwanis

The Kiwanis Club of Swainsboro held its weekly meeting Tuesday night, July 2, at the Rustic Grille Restaurant at 7 p.m. With President Cheryl Goodman presiding, they had 17 in attendance including Missy Elder and George Elder. The chocolate cake, donated by Dwight Watt and baked by Petite Garrett, was won by Jim Clapham and President Cheryl won the Domino’s pizza donated by Domino’s. The program was hosted by Jim Clapham, who introduced Missy Elder and George Elder, who run the Emanuel County Farm and Home Museum. Missy gave a presentation about Naval Stores and the turpentine industry in South Georgia. She noted the name ‘turpentine’ comes from the biblical terebinth (cypress turpentine). Missy showed tools that were used to create the catface cut for pine tar harvest, the various types of cups used to collect the pine tar, the gutters used to direct the tar to the cups and the paddles used to remove the tar from the cups. She explained how the turpentine still, which looks like a moonshine still, extracts the clear turpentine and leaves the thick pitch. George showed solidified rosin after the pitch hardens, explained how it was used in the baseball pitcher’s rosin bag and how it was used to make rosin-baked potatoes.

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