I have always wanted to take my girls to these Maple Sugar events but my youngest does not do well with the cold so we have not yet gone.  But this year is perfect!  We won’t even need to wear our coats it’s so beautiful, so we are heading out this Saturday.  Want to join us?  Check out the options available:

Cummings Nature Center 34th Annual Maple Sugaring:

Saturday and Sunday, March 17-18 and March 24-25

A springtime tradition for many Western New York families, Maple Sugaring explores the science and lore of maple syrup production with volunteer guides along the Pioneer Trail. Learn how a tree makes sap and discover the different processing techniques of Native Americans, early pioneers, and today’s modern sugar bush managers. Highlights include a 100 percent pure maple syrup tasting in the sugarhouse, and a pancake meal in the visitors center.

- Sugaring demonstrations: 10am-3pm

- Pancake meals served: 9am-1pm

Pancake Meal Cost (includes nature center admission):

-Adult meal (5 pancakes + 2 sausages): $10; RMSC members $9

-Child meal (3 pancakes + 1 sausage): $8; RMSC members $7

All meals include pure maple syrup and a choice of beverage. Program admission without the pancake meal is $3 per person ($10 per family).

Genesee Country Museum Maple Sugar Festival:

Maple Sugar Festival

Saturdays & Sundays, March 17-18 & 24-25
Sugaring program 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Breakfast 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

The sugar maple provides cooling shade in the summer, glorious color in the fall and blazing heat as firewood in the winter.

(Maple syrup isn’t just for pancakes, of course. It adds exquisite flavor to all sorts of foods, especially baked goods. Test how good your favorite maple recipe is in our Cooking with Maple Contest. The adult prize winners in each category will receive an example of our famous museum pottery.)

Maple-sugaring activities including log hewing, spile carving, tree tapping, sap collection and boiling down the sap to syrup and sugar. Visit the cooper, blacksmith and tinsmith as they make buckets for collecting sap. Create a maple leaf tin ornament to take home ($). Enjoy a heritage chocolate demonstration at Thomson’s Tavern. Along the way, collect puzzle pieces for your Maple Passport.

Enjoy the Pancake and Sausage Breakfast 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ($8 for adults, $6 for youth and free for ages 3 and under) with real maple syrup! Then plan to take home a bit of the maple season with a visit to our museum shops.

From syrup to maple coffee and maple tea, the Flint Hill Country Store is the place to go for all things maple all during this maple sugaring program.

There’s homemade maple fudge, plus chocolate maple and maple walnut flavors.

You’ll also find pancake mixes, more candy–even maple caramels–and a wide collection of books filled with information and stories about the sugaring process. Maple leaf cookie cutters come with our famous maple cookie recipe

In addition, the shop is offering spectacular last-chance savings on jewelry, gifts and seasonal items.

Admission to the Maple Sugar Festival is: adults $8.50 and youth $6.50. It is free to members and children 3 and younger.

Cool Kids organizes events on a monthly basis throughout the school year at GCC-Genesee Community College for kids of all ages.  During the summer months they have events every week in the Brockport area.  All of these events are totally FREE of charge.

Coming Thursday, February19 from 7-8pmish at The Forum, GCC-One College Road, Batavia, NY14020

“19th CENTURY FESTIVAL!!!! Games! Music! FUN! ”

Yes! Life before cable! Don’t miss this Cool Kid’s favorite-featuring live 1800’s music by the FlintHill Folk in authentic costume and then the Genesee Country Village Museum hitches up stilts, hoops, board games and more!  Come have fun the olde-fashioned way—and Celebrate history!

This would be a great way to get out of the house for a little bit and teach them a some about history in a fun way.  Great for homeschoolers who want to get outside their text books.