The smell of fresh maple syrup over steaming pancakes overwhelmed the senses one warm spring morning in March.
Maplefest was in full swing: plates and forks were passed out, and folks came from all over to enjoy the celebration of a wonderful, if shortened, maple syrup season.
Maplefest has been celebrated for the past 27 years, and is a way to enjoy the tedious tapping of trees for some genuine maple goodness, beginning with a bountiful breakfast, full of maple syrup covered pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a thick slice of ham. Of course, coffee was also offered in abundance.
Visitors then ventured out of the old church to take part in many fun activities.
The Chester Solar Power Booth raised awareness for solar energy. The message: by setting up solar panels around the small town of Chester, the town can cut electric costs.
The Otterbeck family set up a booth to raise money for the Bromley Fund, encouraging people to donate to local animal control shelters. They started the fund after two abandoned dogs were found in their yard and they took them in, using up whatever resources they had to help.
The Chester Fire Department was in attendance, in uniform and demonstrating a fire hose for the children.
Stony Acre Farm brought six baby sheep, only fifteen days old, and one mother sheep. The Stony Acre Farm has celebrated Maplefest for thirteen years.
Burgers, hot dogs, and chili were sold from a booth right next to Tom Huntoon Rustics. Tom is a talented wood craftsman.
A raffle was set up in the old church, and tickets fill the small cups in front of the donated prizes.
Across the street in the old schoolhouse, arts and crafts were on display. Local townspeople brought their creations, from wool scarves to goat’s milk homemade soap, to be put on display and sold.
Hilltown Wilderness Adventures demonstrated dog sledding in a nearby field, their talented pups pulling a four-wheeler as an excited crowd looked on.
The highlight of Maplefest was the free wagon ride to High Meadows Farm, to demonstrate how maple sap is tapped from trees, then transformed into syrup, tidbits of history tied in with a modern demonstration of how a large boiler works. It takes roughly 40 gallons of tree sap to make one full gallon of maple syrup, so the process is long and extensive.
The Pioneer Valley Fiddlers were on hand to entertain the crowd.
On this sunny Saturday afternoon, the work was well worth the end result.
