13 th annual McCloud MAPLE SYRUP DAYS
SATURDAY , MARCH 4 AND 11 • 9 A . M .– 3 P . M .
It ’ s syrup season ! The sugar maple trees at McCloud Nature Park produce a sweet treasure throughout the winter months : sap with a high sugar content . Once the daytime temperatures start rising , the sap starts flowing , and our park staff and volunteers begin collecting it . Pretty soon , we have bottles of 100 % all-natural maple syrup !
How do we know which trees to use ? How do we collect the sap ? Do the sugar maple trees die afterwards ? How do we turn that natural sweetness into syrup ? How has maple syrup been made in the past ? How is syrup made today ?
If any of these questions have crossed your mind , or your kids ’ minds , come on out to McCloud Nature Park in early March and join us in discovering the rich , deliciousness of maple sugaring , at our 13th Annual McCloud Maple Syrup Days ! Bring the whole family because Maple Syrup Days are FREE to attend !
TAP A TREE Visit the tree-tapping station , where you ’ ll learn how sugar maple trees are identified in the winter ( with no leaves !), how sap is collected from them , and how the trees respond to being tapped . Learn how to tap a tree and watch a demonstration of the process as it was done in pioneer days .
HOW MAPLE SYRUP IS MADE Head on over to the Sugar Shack at the McCloud Pavilion to see a modern evaporator and learn how maple syrup is made today . Discover how the sap from maple trees becomes the tasty topping for pancakes .
Maple Syrup Days are held entirely outdoors , so be sure to dress for the weather ! We ’ ll see you there !
HELP US SAVE TREES ! We love trees for awesome stuff like sugar maple sap , oxygen , shade , habitat , beautiful autumn colors , and much more . We don ’ t want to use any more trees than necessary for paper , so please help us save trees !
If you do not wish to receive The Explorer by mail anymore ( or if you need to update your address with us ), please email us at hcparks @ hcparks . net or give us a call at ( 317 ) 718- 6188 , and we ’ ll make the necessary edits to our distribution list . The fewer unwanted issues that we produce , the better it is for our beloved trees ! Thank you !
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