By Saturday, the sugary good sap should have stopped trickling from maple trees in the region, and the maple sugaring season should be winding down. It will be time to celebrate the gifts that the great maples provide.
Elmira is a small town of about 12,000, 20 minutes west of Guelph. But each year around this time, and for one incredible day only, it swells by several thousand. Visitors from all directions - including up Regional Road from Guelph - pour in for the annual Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. It’s a sight to behold.
About four blocks of Arthur Street, the main drag, becomes packed with the multitudes. The street is transformed into an outdoor mall of handmade craft vendors and food merchants of all sorts.
In its 53rd year, the festival is renowned as the largest single-day maple syrup festival in the world. All of its profits go to local charities and community organizations. In 2015, it raised $1.5 million for community groups, distributing those funds to about 30 groups.
The festival starts at 7 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m., and of course it kicks off with a pancake breakfast. Maple syrup will, of course, be a key ingredient.
There is a full schedule of events at both town arenas, running throughout the day. And there are demonstrations, activities, buskers, and performances in downtown street venues.
Snyder Arena has a dog sport variety show, an act by comedic illusionist Bill Nuvo, and a dance show, among other things. McLeod Arena has an antique show, Mennonite quilting demonstration and sale, and a craft market. There will be lots to do outside on the arena grounds as well.
This year, visitors can purchase their own backyard maple sugaring kits at the event for $10, with everything you need to tap your own tree, and instructions to make your own syrup. A very rewarding process.
All this week, tickets to the festival can be purchased in advance on the festival website. Tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for children, and $20 per family.
As the maple sap harvesting period winds down, the Mennonite vendors of the finished syrup begin to sell their delectable product along roadsides in Wellington and Waterloo counties. Watch for them on your way to Elmira.
While the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is longstanding and large, Guelph’s first ever maple festival will likely start out quite small. It also happens on Saturday at John McCrae Public School.
Syrup in the City! happens from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. It’s a joint venture between Transition Guelph, the school and the Community Environmental Leadership Program's Headwaters component.
Transition Guelph’s Urban Sugaring Project has grown in popularity, and John McCrae Public has got involved, putting taps on a number of the maples on the school grounds.
The mini-festival will feature, yes, a pancake breakfast, tree-tapping and sugaring demonstrations, a puppet show, and fun family events. Admission is free.
