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 Ohio families can learn the art and history of making syrup at these Ohio State Park events.
Hueston Woods State Park in Preble County will hold its annual Maple Syrup Festival on two weekends: Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2 and March 8-9. A pancake and sausage breakfast will be available for a small fee at the park lodge from 7 a.m. to 2 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 a 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. A working model railroad display will add to the fun. 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, March 8. 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. For information, call 740-385-6841.
Also on Saturday, March 8, visitors will discover "Nature's Candy Store" at Van Buren State Park in Hancock County from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Park staff will demonstrate the various methods used throughout Ohio history for making maple syrup. Homemade maple treats will be available for sampling. Contact the park office at 419-832-7662 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 and Sunday, March 15-16, 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.