BY SUSANNA HARGREAVES
Smiling with a shirt stained from maple syrup, Nathan Archambault of Hampstead proudly shared his adventures at the 10th annual maple syrup celebration.
“My favorite was the wagon ride,” said Archambault. “It was a lot of fun.” Candice Archambault and her son Nathan both agreed the event was a fun time for all.
“We loved all of it. The storyteller was really great. All the kids were so absorbed in the story,” she said.
The event, known as Maplefest, took place Saturday, March 29, at the Massabesic Audubon Center in Auburn. Approximately 250 New Hampshire maple syrup lovers of all ages turned out for the celebration, according to Alison Dixon, Volunteer and Visitor Services coordinator. Nearly 30 volunteers helped host the event; including interns from the Student Conservation Association (SCA) who are staying at the Bear Brook State Park.
“This is a great way to bring people together to celebrate and educate people about the sugaring season, and also increase awareness about our programs at the Audubon,” said Dixon.
Participants feasted and raved about the meal, which consisted of pancakes with real maple syrup, muffins, sausage and fruit. The center provided a horse-drawn wagon ride, storytelling, crafts, maple syrup demonstrations and various learning activities throughout the day.
Maple sugar candy, maple flavored milk, maple ice cream and maple coffee were also available for all to try.
“This is just wonderful. We have attended every year for the past five years and we even have the recipe for their pancakes,” shared Bonnie Carlson of Candia who attended with her husband, John Carlson.
Emma Schulman, Annie Schumlan and Sofia Falkengren of Bedford came to the event to help Sofia
celebrate her eighth birthday.
“This is a really fun time and I love the pancakes,” said Sofia. “The pancakes are fantastic,” said Felix Shepard of Candia, who brought his grandson, Hunter, to take part in the festivities. “We love it. We will definitely do this again.”
“I ate pancakes, sang songs and saw real snakes and frogs,” boasted 3-year-old Shannon Hargreaves of Hooksett.
“This is one of our biggest fundraisers. It is nice to see so many people be able to celebrate this time together while also supporting our many programs,” said program naturalist and educator Angie Krysiak.
“The New Hampshire Audubon has six centers throughout the state. Our mission is to protect and enhance New Hampshire’s natural environment for wildlife and to educate people.”
P
roceeds from the celebration will help support the education programs at the Massabesic Audubon Center. The Audubon Center provides several nature and environmental programs throughout the year on wildlife conservation, land protection and environmental education.
For more information on their programs, call 668-2045 or visit www.nhaudubon.org.