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| Dakota Gavin and Brielle Studer |
Spring has arrived and with it comes the 47th Annual Andover
Lion’s Maple Festival. The Maple
Festival is held each year at the beginning of spring at Andover Central School
to celebrate the natural beauty and local importance of Maple Trees. This year,
volunteers Dakota Gavin and Brielle Studer are assisting the Andover Lions by
tapping the maple trees surrounding the Sugar Shack. The sap collected will be
used in syrup demonstrations on April 6th and 7th. Gavin and Studer will be
producing maple syrup at the historic Sugar Shack beside the Andover Catholic
Church during the Maple Festival, answering questions and handing out samples
to Festival goers. Sap is only collected for a limited time each year with the
output varying depending on the weather and maturity of the trees. “It takes around 40 Gallons of sap and hours
of boiling to produce one gallon of maple syrup“states Gavin. Maple Syrup and
candy from local producers will be available for sale. The Andover Rod and Gun
Club will again host the pancake breakfast featuring maple syrup both Saturday
and Sunday beginning at 7am. A Maple cooking competition will be held on Sunday
March 7th at 11a.m.
Other events include performances by Pat Cane, and West
O’Clare at 1p.m. Saturday and Bawana Jim on Sunday. An ecumenical religious
observance will be held on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. There will also be a
children’s tractor pull and puppet show as well as numerous craft vendors. A
complete listing of events and schedule will be available shortly on the
Andover Lion’s Maple Festival Facebook Page.
The 47th Annual Lion’s Maple Festival will be open Saturday
April 6th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday April 7th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
