The launch of Ontario’s maple syrup season is right on schedule for 2019, and producers across the province are looking forward to showcasing a new crop of sweet liquid gold during the 5th annual Maple Weekend, April 6 and 7, 2019. Hosted by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association (OMSPA), Maple Weekend is a fun, free, two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates a new season of production and Ontario’s maple heritage at participating sugarbushes across the province.
Maple Weekend is the perfect time to get out and visit a sugarbush, with specials and activities celebrating the production of Canada’s first farm crop of the season. Visitors during this two-day event can expect to experience the best of the traditional maple syrup experiences, ranging from pancake breakfasts and sugar making demonstrations to taffy on snow, sleigh rides, trail adventures and more.
“The annual visit to a sugarbush is a true Canadian, family-focused experience, and Maple Weekend is the perfect way to savour everything maple syrup season has to offer,” Leann Thompson, Chair of the OMSPA Maple Weekend working group said. “Participating producers really pull out all the stops during the event, to give their visitors the full Ontario maple experience.”
Celebrating the 5th Maple Weekend event in 2019, OMSPA is looking forward to another successful year for this sweet event. Officially launched in 2015, Maple Weekend has been steadily growing each year. In 2017, Maple Weekend was nominated for Ontario Tourism Event of the Year, and in 2018 the event drew more than 15,000 visitors to maple sugar bushes across the province.
In 2019, there will be close to 80 producers taking part in Maple Weekend, with participants from the following OMSPA districts: Algoma & District, Algonquin Area, Eastern Area, Grey-Bruce & District, Haliburton-Kawartha Area, Lanark & District, Ottawa Valley, Quinte & District, Simcoe & District, Southwestern Area and Waterloo-Wellington.
“With producers taking part in every region across the province, you won’t need to drive far to find a sugarbush taking part in Maple Weekend,” Thompson said. “Each sugarbush will have their own specials and activities on offer, so you can visit one sugarbush, or explore multiple producers throughout the weekend.”
Maple Weekend is a celebration of the Canadian tradition of maple syrup production, and features two full days of activities in specials at participating maple syrup producers across the province. Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, visitors can expect to enjoy tasting a new crop of maple syrup and getting an inside look on how this sweet liquid gold is produced.
A list of participating Maple Weekend maple syrup producers is available on the Maple Weekend website, along with further details about specials and activities for visitors at the nearly 80 locations across the province. Visitors are invited to visit the Maple Weekend website at www.mapleweekend.ca for more information.
As the official voice of sugar makers in the province, OMSPA represents over 700 maple syrup producers from across the province, who are committed to producing a high-quality product for consumers to enjoy. Members are involved with a wide range of activities organized at the provincial level or through one of the 11 local chapters located across the maple producing areas of Ontario.
Source : mapleweekend