Sweet relief arrives this spring with events celebrating Vermont's maple-syrup season
You can have your Daylight Saving Time or your dwindling snow banks or your red-winged blackbirds or your sprouting daffodils. Vermonters know the real first sign of approaching spring is when they hear the words 'the sap is running.'
Sugaring season hits the senses hard. The sugar house gives off sweet scents and warm vibes as that maple-tree goo gets boiled down into syrup. And of course the taste buds celebrate the rite of spring by tasting that nectar with everything from pancakes and waffles to candy and creemees and that curious tradition known as sugar on snow.
Events to celebrate the occasion of maple season get started this month and stretch into April. Here are a few options to choose from, free unless otherwise indicated:
Saturday, March 22-Sunday, March 23, the two-day Spring Maple Open House Weekend sees maple producers statewide throwing open the doors to their sugarhouses and welcoming visitors to the sights, smells and tastes inside. Maple syrup is not just some fun, feel-good symbol of Vermont; according to the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association, the state still leads the nation as the top maple-producing state, with more than 3 million gallons processed in 2024 – more than half of the nation's entire production. www.vermontmaple.org
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 22, activities on Spring Maple Open House Weekend include 'Maple Madness,' an event on the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington featuring live music, butter sculpture, maple samples and other giveaways and treats. www.churchstreetmarketplace.com
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 19, the Kingdom Maple Festival in St. Johnsbury begins from 8-10:30 a.m. with a pancake breakfast, followed from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. by a yard sale and bake sale featuring maple products; 10 a.m.-3 p.m., a Sweet Street Fair including local music on Railroad Street; 10 a.m.-3 p.m., guided tours of St. Johnsbury Distillery ($5-$10); 10 a.m.-1 p.m., the St. Johnsbury Farmers Market; and from 1-5 p.m., a maple history bus tour of St. Johnsbury and North Danville led by maple-industry historian and author Matthew Thomas ($100). www.discoverstjohnsbury.com
Friday, April 25-Sunday, April 27, the Vermont Maple Festival sprawls over three days in St. Albans with highlights including, at 7 p.m. Friday, April 25, a concert by Americana musician Chris Staples at the St. Albans Museum, which from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 26 is hosting a special maple exhibit ($20 for concert, free admission to museum); from 7 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 26-Sunday, April 27, a pancake breakfast at St. Albans City School presented by the Swanton-Missisquoi Valley Lions Club ($6-$11; free for ages 4 and under); from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, a maple beverage tasting at 14th Star Brewing; and at noon Sunday, April 27, the Vermont Maple Festival parade. www.vtmaplefestival.org
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Maple syrup in Vermont: Events to celebrate sugaring season statewide
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Feeding Champlain Valley locations closed for the day
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Feeding Champlain Valley will be closed fir an all-day meeting June 6, the organization announced. Locations including the Addison Food Hub, Northwest Family Foods and the Burlington Food Shelf will be closed. Regular hours will resume on Monday, June 9. Feeding Champlain Valley aims to increase and improve food access while providing a variety of resources. The group offers 'critical nutrition assistance to Vermonters who struggle with food insecurity through programs and services that include three Food Shelves, a Good Food Truck, Grocery Delivery, Meal Production, Food Rescue, Culinary Job Training, and an Online Market – all of which provide easy access to locally sourced foods that are culturally relevant and dietary specific,' according to their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Fish with a Warden' lets aspiring anglers ask questions
VERMONT (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermonters who want a bit more confidence in their fishing skills might just need to ask an expert. Vermont Fish and Wildlife is offering four evening sessions where new anglers, or experienced anglers who need a refresher, can go out fishing with one of their game wardens and ask for tips, learn about different types of fish, or figure out fishing regulations. Fish & Wildlife announces statewide Summer Free Fishing Day this June Education specialist Corey Hart says the purpose of the sessions is to give the public a chance to have their fishing questions answered. 'We know many anglers have questions they would like to ask a warden, and we know many of our wardens also like to go fishing, so our Vermont State Game Wardens have teamed up with Forests, Parks and Recreation staff to offer Fish with a Warden sessions this summer.' Interested people will need to bring a fishing license and their own fishing equipment, and pre-register online at VT F&W's website. People who have registered for the program at a state park get to enter that park free while attending the session. How to protect nesting loons and their chicks The four sessions are scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. and will each last an hour or possibly longer. The dates are: June 26 – Kill Kare State Park in St. Albans July 24 – Shaftsbury State Park in Shaftsbury August 7 – Ricker Mills State Forest in Groton August 21 – Little River Dam in Waterbury Each session is limited to 30 people. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
How to protect nesting loons and their chicks
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermonters hiking and boating on lakes may be familiar with the haunting call of the loon, an aquatic bird that has been the focus of protection efforts. This summer, Vermont Fish & Wildlife (VT F&W) asks people to be aware of their habitats. 'Loons were removed from Vermont's endangered species list in 2005, but they continue to face threats from human disturbance during the breeding season and mortality from the ingestion of fishing gear,' said VT F&W wildlife biologist Jillian Kilborn. Loons can become stressed when chased, even to the point of abandoning their young, so keeping a distance is important. Eric Hanson with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) says a top danger to loons in the state are fishing lines left behind by anglers, which can entangle the birds. 'Loons will take live bait and lures, killing a few each year,' says Hanson. 'A few loons have even learned that anglers are a source of easy food, and just like bears, it is very important that loons do not learn this problem habit.' Police: Black bears are prowling Colchester neighborhoods Hanson also says that the 'no wake' laws requiring boaters to slow down to 5 miles per hour within 200 feet of shorelines help protect loons, because the strong waves caused by fast-moving boats can destroy loon nests along the shoreline. Anyone interested in monitoring loons for the Loon Conservation Project can contact Hanson at loon@ Volunteers can also help out on LoonWatch Day, held annually on a Saturday in July to provide a loon population count. This year's count will be on July 19 between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
