HOW SWEET IT IS! SOME OHIO STATE PARKS TO DEMONSTRATE MAPLE SYRUP MAKING DURING EARLY MARCH
Five parks to hold maple syrup festivals in coming weeks
COLUMBUS, OH - Sub-freezing nights and mild days start the sap flowing in Ohio's maple trees, signaling maple syrup festival time in some Ohio State Parks, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
"Two hundred years ago, Ohio pioneers learned how to turn maple sap into syrup and sweets from their Native American neighbors," said Dan West, Ohio State Parks chief. "Now, modern families can learn the art and history of making syrup at these Ohio State Park events."
Shawnee State Park in Scioto County will offer an old-fashioned sugar camp on Saturday, March 1 at the campground, starting at 2 p.m. Park visitors are invited to bring their own pancake or waffle mix, and enjoy complimentary homemade maple syrup brewed by the park staff from local maple tree sap. For information, call 740-858-6652.
Hueston Woods State Park in Preble County will hold its annual Maple Syrup Festivalon two weekends: Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2 and March 8-9. A pancake and sausage breakfast will be available for a small fee from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Free tours of the park's sugar bush will originate at the main beach parking lot from noon to 4 p.m. each day. Park staff will explore the process of maple sugaring from the methods used by Native Americans to the way maple syrup is made today. Call the park office at 513-523-6347 for information.
Malabar Farm State Park in Richland County will hold its 32nd annual Maple Syrup Festival from noon to 4 p.m. on the same two weekends: March 1-2 and March 8-9. Visitors can take a horse-drawn wagon ride to the park's sugar bush to see demonstrations of maple sugaring throughout history. Live music and food available throughout the day. For information on the event, call 419-892-2784.
"Maple Sugaring in the Hills" is the theme of the annual maple syrup festival at Hocking Hills State Park in Hocking County. The event is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9. Maple sap from park trees will be used to make tasty treats that will be available for sampling in the Naturalist Cabin behind the Old Man's Cave Visitor Center. Naturalists will demonstrate the many historic methods used to make maple candy and syrup. A pancake breakfast is offered at the dining lodge on Saturday for a small fee. Call 740-385-6841 for information.
Indian Lake State Park in Logan County will host a Maple Syrup Festival from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 15 and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 16 at the park's campground commissary. A pancake and sausage breakfast will be served for a small fee. Visitors can take a wagon ride through the sugar bush, then watch park staff boil sap into syrup at the sugar shack. Free samples will be available for tasting. For information, call 937-843-2717.
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For Further Information Contact:
Jean Backs, Ohio State Parks
(614) 265-7077
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860