Ecology

Maple Fest: a reimagined twist on an old classic

Anne Gageby
Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve

(2/2024) Maple sugaring is a time-honored tradition with roots that go beyond recorded history. Contemporary writers noted that Indigenous populations had been sugaring across North America for as long as the people could remember. It’s truly a tale as old as time. Fortunately for us, this practice has not only endured but expanded. Over the centuries, maple sugaring has become a way of life for many, from backyard hobbyists to commercial producers to families who share laughter around a stack of steaming pancakes. Maple sugar is synonymous with life in North America. And what better way to celebrate it than with a festival?

This year, Strawberry Hill is proud to announce our freshly reimagined Maple Fest, a new twist on our old classic Mount Hope Maple Madness on Saturday and Sunday, March 2nd and 3rd from 8 to noon. If you’ve been to Mount Hope Maple Madness in the past, you’ll recognize some familiar activities such as our pancake and sausage breakfast. Fans of our previous celebrations can still expect crowd favorites such as a tree identification walk and a modern sugar processing station. And, of course, an amazing time in the great outdoors. But overall, Maple Fest is so much more.

This year, Maple Fest will be an at-your-own-pace walking festival similar to fall festivals in our area. A ticket grants you admission to the pancake breakfast and our full festival of interactive displays, demonstrations, and more. The entire festival layout includes a walk-through time, starting with our Native American station in which you can dive into the ancient history of maple sugaring and see a variety of genuine Native American artifacts and Native American-made replicas.

Continue through the centuries as you visit our colonial-style sugar bush, a maple sugaring camp complete with reenactors dressed in period clothing who will discuss maple sugaring through the 18th and 19th centuries. The sugar bush demonstrations will explore the processing of maple sugar and its revolutionary cultural influences over the centuries. While you’re visiting the reenactment, try your hand at old-fashioned tree-tapping and learn how modern tools impacted the practice. Discover some old and new uses for maple sugar in the kitchen including recipes you can try at home.

Need to warm up? Stop by the campfire and hear new tales from the forest, including some fresh takes on European folktales kids of all ages will enjoy. And while you’re walking the grounds, don’t miss our updated modern processing station, an old favorite with a fun twist. A full schedule of events is available on our website, www.strawberryhill.org/maplefest.

All that walking can make you hungry. When you purchase a ticket, choose an hour block for your party’s breakfast seating. Your party may come to Geigley Lodge and begin your meal anytime during the hour block you choose. The festival grounds will be open for ticket holders to explore at their own pace from 8am-12pm. Wristbands will be given when you arrive at the check-in station.

Maple sugaring has been an important piece of Strawberry Hill’s history for many years. Our annual maple sugaring festival began in 1997 as a small pancake breakfast to raise money for environmental education. Local backyard maple sugarers brought together knowledge and experience to create a community event that would raise money for our small organization.

Over the years Strawberry Hill has developed its maple-sugaring program into a robust and well-rounded experience that focuses on the science, history, and cultural influences of maple sugaring. We’ve also built a strong connection with Camp Eder and as a result, the pancake breakfast has grown into an event that serves hundreds of visitors each day. Since its inception, our pancake breakfast has alternated between one day, two days, one weekend, and two weekends. This year, we’re going back to our roots and hosting Maple Fest for one weekend only. And this year’s festival will be like no other.

Why would we switch things up? As any organization can tell you, change is inevitable. Strawberry Hill is constantly growing and adapting. When covid shut everything down, we pivoted, regained our footing, and kept moving forward. As the world reopened, so did we. And through it all, we’ve framed our future around continuing our mission, to inspire stewardship of our natural world by connecting the community with educational opportunities. With that in mind, we’ve taken the opportunity to reimagine what our favorite pancake breakfast could be. All while respecting and appreciating where it comes from. Maple sugaring, after all, is a Mount Hope tradition and one that many of us have loved since we were quite young.

Those of us who remember the first pancake breakfasts will appreciate how far we’ve come, as an organization and as a community. From the joy of breakfast on Strawberry Hill campus to the move up the road to Fellowship Baptist Church and now down to beautiful Camp Eder, it’s been many incredible years of laughter, friendship, and fun. Which is why we’re so excited to bring you this year’s Maple Fest. Because at its heart, maple sugaring is community. It’s a celebration with friends and family, a festive farewell to long winter days, and a look toward the coming spring.

So, join us on Saturday and Sunday, March 2nd and 3rd, as we take a walk back through time and honor the traditions of long ago while learning new and exciting discoveries about the future of this uniquely North American treat. Whether you've attended Mount Hope Maple Madness in the past, or this will be your first time joining in the celebrations, the 2024 Maple Fest will be a fun and immersive experience into the world of maple sugaring.

If you’re unable to make it to the festival or just want to continue the sugaring fun, schedule a private maple sugaring program at Strawberry Hill or check out our public homeschool maple sugaring demonstration on Wednesday, March 6th at Strawberry Hill. There are two program times to choose from: 11 to 2. Each program runs about 90 minutes and is entirely outdoors. To register for this event, please visit our website or call the office. Our homeschool maple sugaring demonstration is $10 per participant over the age of four. Our maple sugaring program has been redesigned with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s STEELS standards in mind and can be used in a homeschool portfolio.

For more information about Strawberry Hill Foundation, as well as to purchase tickets in advance for Maple Fest, please call 717-642-5840 or visit www.strawberryhill.org. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for kids ages 4 to 12. Children ages 3 and under are free.

And finally, we would like to announce that this project was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. The grant was awarded through the South Mountain Partnership, with management oversight of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. We are a partner of the South Mountain Partnership, an alliance of organizations working to preserve and enhance the cultural and natural assets of the South Mountain landscape in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Anne Gageby is the Environmental Education Manager of the Strawberry Hill Foundation. Strawberry Hill inspires stewardship of our natural world by
connecting the community with educational opportunities.
 Learn more by visiting StrawberryHill.org.