PRESS RELEASE – The Maple Syrup Festival will be held Saturday, March 22. The fun begins at the Williams County Fairgrounds in Montpelier, Ohio.
Bring your family and friends to see a working sugar shack in operation, enjoy pancakes with pure maple syrup, and educational and fun activities.
Events start at 8:00 a.m. and continue until noon. Pancakes and sausage prepared by the Williams County Fair Foundation and Williams County Pork Producers topped with pure maple syrup provided by the Northwest Ohio Maple Syrup Producers will be served in the Gillette Building. Breakfast will be served starting at 7:30 a.m.
There will be 2 serving lines to better serve those attending at both the east and west entrances. Handicap parking will be available on the west and north side of the Gillette Building.
Horse-drawn wagons (weather permitting) and tractor-drawn wagons will be on hand for rides across the covered bridge to the sugar shack. The sugar shack is complete with a stainless evaporator, holding tank and filtering unit.
See the tree tapping process of gathering the sap and the boiling process in the evaporator until the sap becomes syrup.
The Northwest Ohio Maple Syrup Producers will have real maple syrup that can be purchased along with fresh-spun maple cotton candy, maple candy, and other maple products.
Fresh popped ‘kettle corn’ is back and will be available to purchase from Poppin’ George.
Returning this year from the Ohio Division of Wildlife for all ages will be an inflatable BB gun range, an archery range, and an archery simulator range. Come and try out your shooting abilities. This is always a favorite!
Come see the portable sawmill demonstration by King Lumber. Talk with representatives from the Northwest Ohio Woodland Owners Association and see samples of native hardwoods and more. Do you have tree and forestry questions? Then ask Daniel Bartlett and Max Schrimpf with the Ohio Division of Forestry. Daniel will be found at the Williams Soil & Water Conservation District’s annual tree seedling sale.
Talk with Tim Sanders, a local taxidermist, and Joe Blosser, hunter and trapper, and see their magnificent exhibits of pelts and animal mounts.
Events will also include learning everything about bees and beekeeping from Bethany Carlson, seeing and touching live reptiles and amphibians with Mic Runyon and his assistants, learning about wildlife and local programs from the ODNR-Division of Wildlife.
Ask Mark Witt and Craig Bonner, Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Management Consultants, your questions, get updates on the restoration and hunting of wild turkeys from Daniel Rethmel, National Wild Turkey Federation, and talk with members from Pheasants Forever.
Learn about entomology with live insects with the OSU Master Gardeners and have your horticulture questions answered. The Montpelier Tree Commission will have educational displays, a tree raffle, and balloons for the kids.
Bring your family and friends to the Williams County Fairgrounds in Montpelier on Saturday, March 22, for a fun-filled morning while enjoying pure maple syrup, pancakes and sausage, seeing how maple syrup is made, plus loads of woodland and wildlife fun!
There is no charge for the events or entry to the fairgrounds. There is only a charge for breakfast and products purchased.
This event is being sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Maple Syrup Producers, Williams County Fair Foundation, Williams County Fair Board, Williams Soil and Water Conservation District, and The Ohio State University Extension of Williams County.
If you would like more information, contact the Williams Soil and Water Conservation District at 419-636-9395 or visit northwestohiomaplesyrupproducers.com.