SKOWHEGAN — Skowhegan’s Maple Fest, which celebrates Somerset County’s status as the top maple-producing county in the United States, kicks off Friday with activities, events and all things maple.
The Skowhegan festival, in its 10th year, leads up to Maine Maple Sunday, when sugar houses around the state open their doors to the public, offering free maple syrup samples and demonstrations of how pure Maine maple syrup is made.
Maple Sugar Facts
Maine maple statistics from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry:
• The number of gallons produced last year is 545,000, worth $17.4 million
• Maine’s industry has an annual statewide economic contribution, including multiplier effects, of an estimated $48.7 million in output, 805 full- and part-time jobs, and $25.1 million in labor income.
• Maine has the nation’s third-largest syrup industry. Maine has the largest maple producing county in the country — Somerset County
• Maine has around 1.4 million taps.
Some sugar houses will hold Maine Maple Sunday events on both Saturday and Sunday. For a list and map of participating sugar houses, visit the Maine Maple Producers website.
Many farms offer games, activities, sugar bush tours and treats that include maple syrup over ice cream or drizzled over snow.
With Easter Sunday falling on the same day as Maine Maple Sunday, many sugar houses are opting to be open on Saturday and Sunday.
“We’ll open both days,” said Gene Hay, of Hay’s Maple Shack on Lord’s Hill Road in Athens, who said he has about 800 maple taps this year. “A few were open this past weekend, but the majority of producers will be open Saturday and Sunday.”
In Skowhegan, events get underway Friday with an ice cream social from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Skowhegan Free Public Library. At 4:30 the public is invited to join Iver Lofving collecting maple sap at the sugar bush he calls Chez Londorf on Burrill Hill Road, off Bigelow Hill Road, in Skowhegan.
Recent cold nights have slowed the sap flow, extending the season at least through this weekend, said Jim Smith, 77, at Smith Brothers Maple on Rowe Road in Skowhegan.
“We’ll be open Saturday and Sunday giving out the ice cream and cookies and maple syrup,” said Smith, whose sons, Jim and Pat, now run the majority of the operation. “We’ve been tapping. It’s almost done. Probably after this freeze-up, three or four days and it’ll be done, I guess.”
The Smiths have been producing maple syrup for 21 years. They work about 5,000 taps and sell 800 to 1,000 gallons of syrup a year.
Down the road from the Smith’s sugar house is Jack Steeves at Strawberry Hill Farms, who runs 15,000 to 16,000 taps and in whose home the first meeting for Maine Maple Sunday took place in 1983.
Steeves, 84, invites busloads of schoolchildren to tour his sugar house. On Thursday, a gaggle of kindergarten students from North Elementary School in Skowhegan were gathered around a stand of maples, being shown how the process of making maple syrup begins.
“We’re learning about maple syrup,” the class said as a group, prompted by teacher Allissa Duchesne.
Steeves said his maple operation “is the largest in the state, excepting a few that are along the border, which are run by Canadians that come across the border. This is where Maine Maple Sunday started. I started it.”
In February 1983, eight Maine maple syrup producers gathered in the Steeves’ living room to designate one day for maple syrup lovers to visit the state’s many sugar houses, smell the vapor of the evaporators and see how sap is transformed into sweet, golden syrup and maple candy.
The group decided that Maine Maple Sunday, to be celebrated this Sunday, would be the fourth Sunday in March.
In Skowhegan, Maple Fest continues on Saturday with a maple breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at Tewksbury Hall behind the Congregational Church on Island Avenue, said Kristina Cannon, executive director at Main Street Skowhegan.
“Maple Fest showcases our local food economy,” Cannon said. “The maple breakfast features whole-grain pancakes made with Maine grains, locally sourced sausage and, of course, Somerset maple syrup donated by local producers.”
Cannon said maple marshmallows are made by The Bankery and the roasting sticks are donated by Cayford Orchards. A local producer also donated some thin maple syrup for maple snow cones that Redington Memorial Home is serving from 1 to 3 p.m., Cannon said.
Other Saturday activities are to include a maple leaf scavenger hunt from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. downtown and games and other activities from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. in the municipal parking lot, including a guided walk down the river trail led by Derek Ellis, of Lake George Regional Park.
From noon to 2 p.m., a Sugar Dash 5K will be run from the downtown parking lot sponsored by Jobs for Maine’s Graduates. Early registration costs $10, and the fee on the day of the event is $15.
Saturday evening brings out the beer, wine, food and talent for Maple Fest in Skowhegan.
From 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, the Skowhegan Rotary Club is sponsoring a beer, wine and food tasting event at the Skowhegan Armory. Tickets are available at West Front Market, at Hammond Lumber or from any Rotarian. The cost is $17 per person if bought before the event and $20 per person at the door. Attendees must be 21 or older to attend. Only 250 tickets will be sold.
From 7:30 to 9 p.m. there will be a talent show at the Skowhegan Opera House. Tickets are free and more than 20 local acts will perform.
For all the events listed for March 25-27, see the Main Street Skowhegan website.
Some sugar houses will hold events on both Saturday and Sunday. For a list and map of participating sugar houses, visit the Maine Maple Producers website.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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