Hueston Woods State Park’s 58th annual Maple Syrup festival will end this March 9 and 10 on a sweet note.
Dozens of people showed up for the festival’s first sunny weekend. Beyond the flapjacks, older couples, parents with small children and even Miami University students, everyone seemed to enjoy the guided tours and seeing the sappy beginning of how syrup is made.
The all-day festivities this weekend begin with a pancake breakfast at the Hueston Woods Lodge from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. The breakfast costs $9 for adults and $7 for children 10 and under. From noon to 4 p.m. there are hayrides starting at the beach parking lot, as well as hiking tours in the “Big Woods.”
The hike exhibits the trees tapped for sap this season. Guides also emphasized why only certain trees are chosen to preserve the forest. As one of the oldest traditions of the park, seeing the taps feels extra sappy.
This is the “largest, biggest” attraction at the Hueston Woods State Park, according to Taylor Hedges, a naturalist at the nature center.
“It is something that has been with the park since 1957, when the park became a state park,” said Hedges, although the practice of tree tapping on the land actually went back hundreds of years earlier.
Since the park is a nature preserve, not enough trees are tapped annually to produce syrup. According to Hedges, syrup from the park is only given as samples, not sold.
“We will tap only sugar maples,” said Hedges. “They have the highest sugar content.”
Trees are tapped based on how good they look, if they’re big enough, or if they’ve been over-tapped in the past. The park shoots for around 140 buckets of sap per year.
The maple syrup sold at the lodge during the festival comes from Seven Mile Maple Syrup right outside the park, in Camden. The small business produces 300 to 400 gallons of syrup annually, according to Anthony Metzger.
This means tapping about 700 trees every year, he said.
“We do sell syrup directly from our house,” says Metzger. “We have done some craft sales.” But Hueston Woods remains the company’s only wholesaler.
Seven Mile has been selling syrup to Hueston Woods for their festival since 2013, when the syrup farm began in Camden.
Food trucks will be parked at the beach the entire day, and the festival continues March 9 and 10. As well as maple syrup, maple drops, maple sugar candy, maple balsamic dressing and maple dog bones are sold at the lodge.
More information about Seven Mile Maple Syrup and other local syrup producers can be found on this list of Ohio Maple Producers Association Members.
