After months of anticipation, the ever-so-popular Beaver County Maple Syrup Festival is finally scheduled for this weekend, Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2 from 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m.
To prepare for the festival, maple sap is extracted from maple trees scattered throughout the park via a spout and stored in a bucket resting at the bottom of the trees during the winter months, then around spring time the sap is collected and made into the final product – a beloved sugary syrup – which is used to top the all-you-can-eat pancakes served at the event.
Visitors from all across the nation come to celebrate the annual spring time festival which offers the unique experience to sample 100% pure maple syrup made from the local trees.
Syrup being collected from the trees
“Maple trees grow all over the world, but only North Eastern North America has the right climate to harvest the sap to make maple syrup,” this site states, making the festival an appealing event for people across the nation.
According to another site, the best time to extract sap from a maple tree is when temperatures are around 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 20 degrees Fahrenheit at night; the flavor and color of the sap changes during this period.
Some participants will arrive at the event hours ahead of opening time to beat the long lines and to reserve an early spot for breakfast. Luckily, if you’re stuck in the breakfast line you can explore some of the near vendors and entertainment.
The festival features a selection of all-you-can-eat buttermilk or buckwheat pancakes, entertainment on two stages, mountain men encampments, handmade crafts, pony-rides, and much more. Home made maple syrup and stone ground flour can be purchased at the festival.
Although the event is free admission and parking, the charge for breakfast is $9 adults and $5 children 12 and under. All proceeds benefit the Beaver County Conservation District.
Photos from the Beaver County Conservation District website.
I’ll be there!