Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Nature center to hold Maple Festival

If you have been looking forward to spring and the opportunity to once again taste New England's sweetest, natural resource, plan to spend Saturday at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center when the Friends of the Ansonia Nature Center will hold a Maple Festival.
The day-long event will begin at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast that will be served until 10 a.m. in the main building.
At 10:30 a.m., join Alison Rubelmann for a program on tapping maple trees. Find out how to identify the correct trees.
At 11:15 a.m., there will be a demonstration with Tim Stir from Coon Hollow Farm in Oxford on his method of maple syrup making with his own evaporator, and with artist Greg Karas of Ansoina who will display his cinder block version. Both will be available to answer questions.
Richard Feher from the Connecticut Maple Syrup Producers Association will give a lecture on equipment, collecting and storing syrup. He will also cover tools needed to tap your own backyard trees.
In a program on the history of making maple syrup the old-fashioned way, Rubelmann will demonstrate how to tap trees with homemade spiles and boil down the sap over a wood fire.
Special programs that day for kids include Creature Features, crafts, and face painting.
Taste "sugar on snow" and visit the maple bake sale and the Nature Store. Exhibitors include Karas and a wildlife rehab-citation exhibit.
Admission is free but all proceeds from sales will benefit the Wildlife Rehabilitation Program for the repair of the outside flight cage.

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