LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A festival dedicated to maple syrup is returning to mid-Michigan, and this year is looking to be really sweet.
Fenner Maple Syrup Festival will celebrate Michigan’s maple syrup by featuring maple products, hands-on demonstrations, and a pancake breakfast.
The festival begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Fenner Nature Center.
Sam Ansaldi, program director of the Fenner Nature Center, said there are a lot of people from Ingham County that show up year after year.
“It’s been a festival that’s been going on for years — people bring their grandkids through here and kids through here, and it’s something that’s been going on for a long time — so there’s a great legacy with this festival,” Ansaldi said.
Now, the Maple Syrup Festival draws in a big crowd with only a short amount of time to savor this sweetness. Ansaldi said an average maple season really only lasts about four to six weeks.
Ansaldi said that maple syrup is versatile across the board and can be used on just about anything, and anybody can enjoy all the sugar from the tasting the maple syrup at the festival.
He said birch syrup, sycamore syrup, and hickory syrup are some of the delicious flavors available.
“It’s a natural form of sugar, which is absolutely fantastic. If you’re into biology or science, just the conversion from starch to sugar when the sap comes from the trees — it’s just absolutely amazing,” Ansaldi said.
Ansaldi said he hopes that people will come out to enjoy the 134 acres of property at the Fenner Nature Center and indulge in the syrupy tradition.
“Well this is part of our Michigan heritage here. Maple syrup is only made in a small spot in the whole world, so if you are eating maple syrup at a restaurant in Tokyo — it most likely came from somewhere around here,” Ansaldi said.
Check out the video clip above to learn more about how maple syrup is made!
