At the end of March, I joined a group from Adam House who went to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. I didn’t realize how big of an event it is! We all took different cars, met at the parking lot, and then walked to where the festival begins. It was rather chilly for the end of March and everyone was bundled up! We decided to start by going on a tour to see where the maple syrup is collected and made. To get there we were brought to the outside of town on a yellow school bus, and then switched to a tractor with a trailer that brought us across a farmers field and into a wooded area. There we could see buckets on some trees and long stretches of silicone tubing connecting others. There was still snow on the ground which made the whole scene very pretty! We got a tour of the sugar shack where the sap is collected and boiled down, bought some tasty maple treats, and also walked a short loop through the woods. When the next tractor arrived we took it back the way we came.
Upon arriving back at the town we split up into different groups to go explore the main street that was bustling with vendors of all kinds! I stayed with Azzah and Hussam because they had driven me. There was a lot of delicious food like large turkey drumsticks, shawarma, pirogies, potato chips you name it! And of course lots of tables selling maple syrup! There was a booth selling maple syrup cotton candy and I could not resist buying some! There was also some crafts and music. We met up with the larger group again at the end. A few of us were tired of walking and so we decided to take the tractor to the parking lot. What we did not realise is that it drove right past our lot and made a long loop before it brought us around again. The others who had walked were confused by what took us so long! It was a fun day trip and I am glad that I got to enjoy some Canadiana before leaving the next month and also sharing the experience with newcomers!
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