The Fulton County Tourism Department, in conjunction with the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association, announces the Maple Open House Weekends, March 21-22 and March 28-29, when the public can take free tours of area sugarhouses and see maple syrup made onsite.
Families are invited to come and experience first-hand the sights, smells and sounds of maple sugar-making. The event has been so successful it has been expanded to two weekends, giving more opportunities to visit sugarhouses.
Signs will be placed along roadsides over the course of the weekends to direct motorists to the sugarhouses. The sugarhouses will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Most sugarhouses will offer samples and demonstrations. Many of the locations will be serving pancake breakfasts as well.
Participating Fulton County sugarhouses:
Brower Road Sugar House, Gloversville, (518) 848-7685
Frasier’s Sugar Shack, St. Johnsville, (518) 568-7438
Mud Road Sugar House, Ephratah, (518) 863-6313
Peaceful Valley Maple Farms, Johnstown, (518) 762-0491
For the first time in Fulton County, the Association’s tree tapping ceremony to kick-off the event will be held on Friday, March 20, at 1PM at Mud Road Sugar House, 278 Mud Road, Ephratah, NY with State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball and local officials invited to participate.
Maple season generally runs from now through the beginning of April. The Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association is a trade organization representing maple producers in Washington, Warren, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton and Rensselaer Counties. The Upper Hudson region is among the largest syrup-producing areas in New York State.
To find more information about the event, local sugarmaking, and maple recipes, visit www.upperhudsonmaple.com. For more Fulton County agritourism information call Fulton County Tourism at (518)725-0641 or logon to www.44lakes.com.