By: Angi Campos
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
The Maple Syrup Fest Pancake & Sausage breakfast at the Williams County Fairgrounds one of those events that has a first-time attendee asking themselves: “Why have I never been to this event before?!”
It’s Williams County gem.
The 4-hour fest has been an annual affair since the 1970’s that serves up hand-flipped flapjacks and whole hog sausage by experienced hands. This sticky, sweet, yummy event has been sponsored by the Fair Foundation for over 20 years and usually brings in over 1,500 people! It could not be done without the help and support of the 4-H’ers, friends, families and the community.
The funds raised by the pancake and sausage breakfast “go back into the community”.
“We give it away to FFA and 4-H..that’s what we do primarily is Ag-related” states John McDonald. “We gave away some funds to support the veterans on their [Washington] DC trip. The Saddle Club needed some new electronic equipment for the timing of the horses..so we made a donation towards that.”
“It grows about 150-200 people every year. People throughout Northwest Ohio really kick in, like the radio station; WLZZ and Channel 13 was running it every time they had the weather report for the last two days. It really promotes Ag in Northwest Ohio.”
“It’s really popular, we had them bussing in from all over,’’ says McDonald.
And he’s right!
According to Kay Briner, there was a family from Baltimore, Maryland that adjusted their visit to relatives to coincide with this weekend to enjoy the fest. Others reportedly came from Dayton and Cleveland as well as the tri-county area.
After breakfast and after a peruse across the vendor tables of maple syrup bottles, maple syrup fudge, candy and cotton candy; syrup lovers can enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride through the covered bridge and down to the sugar shack. While there, they learn about how maple syrup is tapped from the trees and made into syrup.
Unfortunately, the past few years of extreme weather changes have not been kind to maple syrup production. Every year there is an visual demonstration of aromatic proportions of how syrup is made, but even with the unkind temperatures this year, the demonstration still went as planned.
If you haven’t been to the Maple Syrup Fest..you’re missing out. It’s a something-for-everyone family event.
Angi Campos may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com