The Fenner Nature Center is celebrating maple syrup season in Michigan with its 50th Maple Syrup festival this weekend.
The two-day event offers visitors a chance to experience firsthand how make maple syrup.
Tina Nguyen is the Nature Center’s Marketing and Membership Manager. She says the festival will feature hands-on tree tapping demonstrations, an all-you-can-eat pancake fundraiser and unique maple syrup products for sale like cotton candy, root beer and tea.
“If you've never really been involved with maple syrup production at all, it's a really great time to go out there and learn something new. And if you do know something about it, it's just a great way to come out and support Fenner Conservancy in general.” Nguyen said.
While the festival serves as a fundraiser for the center, Nguyen says it’s also a way to connect people to nature through conservation, education and stewardship.
“Michigan is ranked fifth in maple syrup production in 2024, according to the USDA,” she said. “With over 650,000 trees tapped and 200,000 gallons of sap collected, it's a great way for people to connect the syrup to the table with the trees that provide it.”
Nguyen says the funds raised from the festival go back to supporting the center’s educational programs, animal ambassadors and visitor center improvements.
Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. The festival will run Saturday, March 22 through Sunday, March 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.