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Not make it out for pancakes and other fun?
Never fear! The Nature Center is offering public syruping programs Saturdays 14th and 21st this month, both at 1 PM.
This program is a hands on experience. You’ll go out into our sugar bush and tap a maple tree, you will visit our sugar house to see how we make syrup, you’ll hear the legend of Chief Woksis and even taste some of the Nature Center’s maple syrup on ice cream!
For fees and information on our other programs, click here for the ICNC schedule of events.
(Please note: All of the photos from today’s entry are brought to you by our Official Syrup Fest Photographer, nine-year-old Tori Wood.)
What a Saturday! Day one of our Annual Maple Syrup Festival…
This was what the line looked like early in the day, but after awhile, we had people lined up across the road! (The line moved surprisingly fast: from the time you reached the line to the time you were sitting and eating, less than 15 minutes passed!)
While chowing down on some delicious pancakes (with maple syrup from our own trees), we had musicians from the community to entertain the crowd. All of the acts were fantastic. One woman was so pleased that she bought a bottle of maple syrup from the store as a gift for a particular performer!
Outside, our education stations provided the crowd with a look at how maple syrup has been produced throughout American history.
Today, we make syrup in a large evaporator, which is housed (as shown above) in our Sugar House. (Sugar Houses or Shacks are a tradition that have made their way to us from New England.) At the festival, you can visit our Sugar House and meet the head of our syrup production, Fred Balster.
Did you miss out on the Festival today? Don’t fret! Join us tomorrow (Sunday, March 8th) from 9 AM until 1 PM. And don’t forget to set your clocks forward tonight. We wouldn’t want you to miss breakfast!
We’ve had a busy couple of days here at the Nature Center, which is leading up to a busier weekend! Have you made plans to come to the 26th Annual Maple Syrup Festival?
For those of you who would like a behind-the-scenes peek at what we’ve been up to:
Volunteers fill syrup dispensers from jugs of maple syrup that we have in storage from previous years. We keep these jugs at the bottom of the silo steps, which is a cool enough place to store syrup for many years. (Can you tell the 2008 “vintage” from the 2007?) We definitely use up syrup faster than it goes bad… I bet it’s the same way at your house!
Tents and propane grills are set up outside. Don’t those grills just look like they’re anxiously waiting to cook pancakes? Because I know I’m anxiously waiting to eat them!
The upstairs dining room in the auditorium. We also have a downstairs dining room in the exhibit area, making this event completely accessible!
Support your local Nature Center: Join us this weekend for a good time and a great breakfast!
Check back this evening to see photos the preparations for the Maple Syrup Festival!
This year’s festival is this Saturday and Sunday, March 7th and 8th from 9 am to 1 pm.
Join us for pancakes fresh off the griddle, sausage links and, of course, maple syrup from our very own maple trees! There will also be live music and door prizes!
