Hear Philly: Sweet Time Guaranteed When Maple Syrup-Centric Festival Returns To Montco
By Andrew Kramer
AUDUBON, Pa. (CBS) - From demonstrations to presentations to kid's activities galore, the Sapsucker Festival -- formerly known as the Maple Sugar Festival -- will have it all on March 7th.
"It was renamed two years ago," explains Carrie Barron with the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove in Montgomery County. "It's a wonderful, family-fun filled day where we tap our sugar maple trees that are found on our 175 acre property, and we take families through an experience where they see how maple syrup was made through the ages."
Barron says the day is filled with fun activities, "including a Kids Corner with activities and games, our non-releasable owls are out, as well as you get to tour the home of John James Audubon for free that day and there will be tour guides as well."
This event has been going on for over a decade, and Barron says this year they will feature some really exciting, new things:
"Our Kids Corner this year will be in a warm space, and not to mention that the Kids Corner has new activities. We're going to be doing nest building, creating bird guiders and the most exciting thing is families can dress up in bird costumes and get a photo to take home with them."
Barron says one of the main goals of the event is to connect people to the outside world and nature:
"What we love to show is trees are not just important for wildlife, but they're important for people too and to make that connection on how all of those things can work together. So how trees provide not just us with something wonderful like maple syrup and sap, but they also provide birds and wildlife with places to live and food. So we can all try and protect our forests, it's in everyone's benefit."
Barron says the event is accessible to everyone:
"We do have a lot of families, which is wonderful. We also gear it toward scout groups because we have a scout program that you can do that day. It's been totally revamped, so scouts and their families can come out and for $5 they get an activity packet, a fun patch and unlimited access to all the games and activities in the Kids Corner."
Barron adds they love when new people come out, and encourages anyone, new or returning, to check out this year's festival:
"This is a great opportunity for you to come explore a beautiful, historic site, so you can really get a chance to learn about science, art, history, biology, botany and get a chance to see some things that you've never seen before, like an owl up close and really get immersed in the spirit of Mill Grove."
The Sapsucker Festival begins at 9 a.m. and admission is free.
For more information go to www.johnjames.audubon.org or visit the center's Facebook page.
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