MAPLE SUGARING EVENTS NOW ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS
FOR EDUCATIONAL AND NONPROFIT GROUPS
March is
maple sugaring time in New England, and plans are underway for this year’s
maple sugaring programs in the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR)
state and urban parks. The following locations accept and encourage
reservations for organized educational and nonprofit groups beginning this
month. No reservations are necessary for individuals or families who want to
attend DCR’s maple sugaring events.
·
Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Blue
Hills Trailside Museum in Milton offers group
tours of maple sugaring techniques from Brookwood Farm in the Blue Hills
Reservation from mid-February through March.
Learn the process of turning sap
to sugar, see a real evaporator, and sample a traditional maple syrup snack.
The $10-per-student fee charged by MassAudubon includes admittance to the
Blue Hills Trailside Museum (open Wednesday-Sunday). Contact the Blue Hills
Trailside Museum (617-333-0690) for further information and to make
reservations.
·
Breakheart Reservation in Saugus
offers free programs for schools and nonprofit
groups Monday-Friday, March 10-March 14. Tours include tree identification,
tappings, history of maple sugaring, wood harvesting, sap boiling, and
sampling of real maple syrup on pancakes and popcorn. Preregistration is
required and can be arranged by phone (781-438-1388) Monday-Friday, 10 a.m-4
p.m.
·
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in
Uxbridge offers maple sugaring demonstrations and lessons in how to make
your own maple syrup at home, hosted by the Blackstone Valley Sugaring
Association. Visitors can watch syrup being made, sample maple products, see
trees being tapped, participate in gathering sap, and visit the park’s sugar
house. Limited group tours will be offered during the first three weekends
in March (March 1 & 2, March 8 & 9, and March 15 & 16) beginning at 9 a.m.
Contact the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association (508-278-5274) or
www.blackstonevalleysugaring.org.
Second Annual Maple
Bucket Art Silent Auction Announced
Uxbridge, MA. The Blackstone Valley Sugaring
Association and The Rainbow Palette have announced their second annual
silent art auction of vintage maple sugaring buckets. Vintage maple sap
buckets have been painted by artists throughout the Blackstone Valley
with scenes of the valley, sugaring and other winter in New England
themes.
The
painted buckets will be unveiled at a wine and cheese reception on
Saturday, February 16 at 6 PM at The Rainbow Palette Café Galley and
Community Arts Center. The public is invited to preview these beautiful
buckets at the reception and to place initial bids.
Following the reception, the buckets may be viewed and bids may be
placed at The Rainbow Palette through February 28 and at the River Bend
Farm Visitors Center at the Blackstone River & Canal Heritage State Park
at 287 Oak Street between March 1 - 16 during open hours. Bids will also
be accepted during the Park’s Maple Sugar Days Program where visitors
can see maple syrup being made on site at the park’s sugar house.
Winners will be announced at 4:30 pm on March 16. Proceeds from the
auction will benefit the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association and The
Rainbow Palette’s TLC Program for students with disabilities, low-income
and the elderly.
For more
information, contact the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association at
508-278-5274 or Laura O. Cenedella at the Rainbow Palette at
508-278-3900 or see their websites at
www.blackstonevalleysugaring.org and
www.therainbowpalette.com.
·
D.A.R. State Forest
in Goshen will arrange maple sugaring tours at the Krug Sugarbush
for school groups, beginning the second week in March. Groups can schedule
tours in either the morning (after 10 a.m.) or afternoon, but should contact
D.A.R. no earlier than a week in advance to allow for the best prediction of
weather and sugaring conditions. Call 413-268-7098.
For more information on individual
parks, and for driving directions, see DCR’s website at
www.mass.gov/dcr.
