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Volunteers Rick Normile and Neil Schmidt hard at work with staff
Michael Colamarino boiling sap in the sugar shack.
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Preparations underway for Maple Sugarin’ at the Prairie
The maple sap has started to run, and many Darke County Parks’
volunteers have fired up the sugar shack for the maple sugaring season!
Freezing nights and thawing days cause the sap to move, bringing the
sweetness one step closer to the table. For seasoned volunteers, it’s
been a busy February boiling sap in preparation for the festival.
New-comers are welcome to join volunteers in the sugar shack for this
excellent opportunity to learn a new skill and help out the park
district at the same time.
The Maple Sugarin’ at the Prairie Festival will be held on Saturday,
March 7th, from 8am-12pm. This late winter day at Shawnee Prairie
offers guided tours, from 8:00am-12:30pm, through history and science,
learning the process of turning sap into syrup. After an
educational tour through the woods, visit the
sugar shack, and warm up in the steam-filled evaporator room as the sap
spends countless hours on a boil to reduce it down to syrup. Then head
out to the log house and blacksmith shop to visit with the early
settlers and discuss life on the frontier. Finally, complete the day at
the Nature Center where the gift shop and bake sale will be full of
maple goodies fit for any sweet tooth!
The Friends of the Parks will once again be serving up a hearty
breakfast of waffles, sausage, juice, coffee, and of course pure Ohio
maple syrup! Adults tickets are $6 and children (3-12) are $3.
Carry-out is available, and extra sausage can be purchased for $1 more.
Breakfast will be served from 8:00am-12:00pm. Tickets will be available
at the door on the day of the breakfast or presale tickets may be
purchased at the Nature Center. Call (937) 548-0165 for more
information!
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