MARCH 29th & 30th 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Located on NYS Route 89, Five Miles North of Ithaca, NY
One of the great treasures of New York State is maple syrup! At Cayuga Nature Center, we have turned that treasure in a two day festival celebrating syrup, community and the great outdoors. It’s called MapleFest; an annual festival is now in its 29th year. CNC will be serving a pancake breakfast each day from 10 am to Noon. The breakfast will feature ingredients from local and organic farms including Sweetland, Sabols, Blue Heron, and Starflower Farms. CNC staff and volunteers will serve a mouthwatering smorgasboard of buttermilk and vegan pancakes, eggs, homefries, pork sausage, seasonal dishes, and of course, maple syrup! Two stages will showcase a number of local music and dance acts including the Wayward Girls, Zela Zola, El Caminos, Native Earthling Band, and Hee Haw Nightmare. Visitors will be invited to join in Irish dancing on Saturday and to experience a Capoeira dance group on Sunday. Beginning at 11:00, CNC staff will offer hourly tours of our traditional Sugarbush trail which tells the story of sugaring from Native Americans to present day production systems. Visitors will learn how natives collected and boiled sap, try their hand at tapping a tree and making a sumac spiel, and taste samples of pure CNC sap and syrup. Entertainment will be scattered throughout the day and includes a Saturday visit from the Cornell Raptors (11:00 am), a visit from the Trumansburg Fire Company, face painting, and animal programs with CNC's collection of snakes, lizards, and birds. A lumberjack relay will test the skills of kids and adults a challenge sawing logs, carrying water, and starting a fire. Food and crafts will be abundant with Cayuga Creamery back to serve up local ice cream with a twist - a maple flavor featuring CNC syrup! We'll also be serving maple cotton candy, popcorn, and juices from Red Jacket Orchards. Handmade bags, jewelry, and chair massage will be offered by local artisans. Community Organizations present at the event will include the Cornell Cooperative Extension Composters, the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, Sciencenter, Cornell Mushroom Club, and Ithaca Youth Bureau. Adults $12 Kids $8 Family $25 Members save $2 off admission Schedule of Events
WE ARE OFFERING PURE CNC MAPLE SYRUP FOR SALE AT THE FESTIVAL!
Updated: March 20, 2008

Last Updated February 27, 2008