NYS Maple Weekend at Cayuga Nature Center

According to the New York State Maple Producers Association, this weekend (March 29 & 30) approximately 110 maple producers from across New York State will open their sugar houses to allow visitors to see how maple syrup and other maple products are made. Visitors can see all aspects of maple making, from the tapping of the trees to get the sap, to the boiling of the sap into syrup. Some producers will also demonstrate the making of maple syrup into other products including maple cream, maple cotton candy and maple sugar. Most sugarhouses will allow people to sample the products.Cayuga Nature Center, located 5 miles from Ithaca on route 89, will hold its 29th annual MapleFest in coordination with the weekend. CNC has been producing syrup and selling it to the public since 2007 and is excited to report record production this year! Come visit our festival and enjoy a pancake breakfast featuring local produce, live music, animals, a lumberjack challenge, and our famous sugarbush trail which walks visitors through the history of maple sugaring from the Native Americans to modern production.Cayuga Nature Center staff will be on hand to answer questions, give tours, and offer samples of our 2008 harvest. So far this year we have collected over 1000 gallons of sap and produced over 20 gallons of syrup! Our syrup and maple candy will be on sale at the festival, which is running both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.The fee for each day is $12 for adults, $8 for children, and $25 for families and includes an all you can eat pancake breakfast from 10 am to Noon. CNC members receive $2 off admission. For more information call 607-273-6260 or visit www.CayugaNatureCenter.org where you can view an updated schedule of events.