After 46 years of newspapering, Jeff Klinkenberg shows no signs of slowing down

Jeff Klinkenberg, staff writer at the St. Petersburg Times - and one of Florida's great storytellers - reminded his Facebook friends today that his first byline was published 46 years ago in the Miami News.

In his most recent story, appearing in tomorrow's Times, Klink finds journalism's equivalent of a sweet spot. Literally.

Steve Melton, 62, holds a cane grinding every December at his Pasco County ranch as a reminder of a time when Floridians couldn't buy sugar in a bag at Publix. From the Panhandle to the Keys, folks of every race and creed grew sugar cane, harvested the stalks in the fall, squeezed the stalks into juice and then boiled the juice into sweet syrup they sprinkled into coffee or over pancakes or even meat. In the age before mass communication, a cane grinding was also a social gathering where Floridians might exchange news and gossip, tell jokes and share their dreams.

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