As the mercury in thermometers slowly rises and all around there are mounds of dirty, melting snow and mud pits, one thing is certain: spring is here.

And along with spring comes a New England tradition – maple sugaring.

Maple sugar houses around the state are gearing up for Maple Sugar Weekend on March 28 and 29.

Many sugar houses will offer demonstrations, free samples and even live entertainment.

One local sugar house taking part in the weekend festivities is the Grant Family Pond View Maple Sugar House in Weare.

This sugar house has been a family-run business for more than 100 years, and was started in the early 1900s by Al Grant. Today, it is run by his great-grandson, Dave Richards.

Richards and his best friend, Michael Lafleur, do all the sap boiling, with help from some of Richards’ cousins.

“I remember doing (maple sugaring) in 1973 with my cousins,” said Richards. “I was 5 years old, gathering sap in buckets.” Richards has abandoned the old system of collecting sap and boiling it down for a more modern approach. Instead of using traditional taps and waiting for the sap to flow on its own, Richards uses a vacuum to extract the sap.

“We’ve had a pretty decent year,” said Richards. “The people who rely on gravity (though) haven’t been having a good time.”

In addition to the vacuum, Richards uses a reverse osmosis machine to extract water from the sap, which also helps to bump up the sap’s sugar content. Richards said the farm has 1,400 taps, and so far, he has made 162 gallons of syrup. “If Mother Nature cooperates, I want to make close to 400 gallons,” said Richards. “But Mother Nature could shut us down anytime.”

To get sap to flow, cold nights and warm days are needed. Richards said the ideal temperature is between 25 and 40 degrees, and the sun needs to be out in the morning.

Over in New Boston, Mount Crumpit Farm, owned and operated by Dale Smith, will also have an open house during Maple Sugar Weekend.

“As a child, I helped a big maple producer in Wilton,” said Smith. “It’s kind of been in my blood forever.”

Smith’s sugar house in New Boston has been in operation for eight years.

According to Smith, Mount Crumpit Farm has approximately 500 taps, all on a pipeline. Smith has also been working with Richards to get his syrup made, as he has been inundated with sap.

So far, Smith has made 73 gallons of syrup. He hopes to have made 100 by the end of the season.

“We wait all year for (maple sugar season), and it’s six weeks of fun,” said Smith. “It’s what you do in the mud season, right?”

Grant Family Pond View Maple Sugar House will be open March 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. There will be demonstrations both days. On March 28 only, it will offer free refreshments including chili, maple steamed hot dogs, maple popcorn, maple cotton candy and free coloring books for children. There will also be live entertainment throughout the day.

This sugar house is located on Mount Dearborn Road in Weare. For more information, visit www.nh-maple.com.

Mount Crumpit Farm will be open the same weekend from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. There will be demonstrations and free maple hot dogs.

This sugar house is located on Lull Road in New Boston.

Both farms will also have their maple products for sale. For a complete list of participating maple sugar houses, visit www.nhmapleproducers.com.