NATCHEZ &8212; Life was sweet Saturday morning at Main Street Marketplace.

The smell of sugar cane juice being boiled down to thick, rich syrup &8212; eight pounds of cane juice to one pound of finished syrup &8212; wafted through the air.

The demonstration, conducted by Alcorn State Extension Service personnel, is held each year at the Marketplace along with sales of other sweet treats, honey and jelly among them.

&8220;We&8217;re trying to revitalize the syrup industry,&8221; said Helen Brooks, manager of the Marketplace. &8220;And this helps bring in more people at a time when we don&8217;t have a lot of producers in here.&8221;

She was referring to those who bring their produce in from throughout the region to sell, in season, at the Marketplace. This time of year, without those fruits and vegetables, a different attraction is needed.

Such an event serves to give small businesspeople such as Vivian Graham a chance to sell their wares to a larger audience.

Graham has been selling her jams and jellies for seven years now at venues in Jackson and Natchez.

&8220;Things like this help me get exposure,&8221; Graham said.

And the festival exposed young and old to a method of cane syrup production many have never seen before. And that&8217;s not just youngster who think syrup mysteriously arrives at the store, either.

&8220;Many of the older people will come and say they&8217;ve never seen (syrup production) done like this,&8221; said Michael Wells, an Alcorn Extension agent. &8220;Some only remember way back when they had to use a mule to power it.&8221;

Alcorn conducts syrup demonstrations at fairs and festivals as well as on farms.