Maple Syrup Fests Near Chicago #EcoFriendly #Nature

Syrup in the City

We're big fans of showing our children where their food comes from.  They've tapped Maple trees, gathered eggs from real chickens on a farm, and picked blueberries, strawberries, and apples.  It's especially important for urban kids to have that connection to nature.  

I have fond memories of maple syrup fests and tree tapping demos from my own childhood.  The best news is, if you live in or near Chicago, you don't have to go to Vermont or travel far from home.  We've gone to the Maple Syrup Festival at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 North Pulaski Road, Chicago for years and tapped trees there as a family & with a school group. The fest runs 10am - 3pm Saturday & Sunday, March 22 & 23 & it's free. 

Make crafts, taste sap from the trees & see it boiling in a big vat outdoors & taste it once it's condensed.  Walk simple loop trails, hear a story teller, make a craft or warm up by the fire inside or out.  Click here for our past North Park Nature Center Features.

Other Area Maple Syrup Fests in the Burbs

Maple Tapping Pancake Picnic
Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle 

March 15

Here at ChiIL Mama we adore Morton Arboretum.  Click here to check out our past photo features on this true gem then sign up for some sweet, maple syrup fun this weekend.

Kids can learn how to identify sugar maples, and see how sap flows from the tree and is collected. Then they can try their hand at the auger on a fallen log and make a craft at the Shelter and see how sap is turned into the maple syrup. The Pancake Picnic includes silver dollar pancakes and bacon with four different grades of syrup to taste. Pre-registration required. 11am - 1pm. $18 members, $25 non-members, includes admission.

Festival of the Sugar Maples
Coral Woods Conservation Area, 7400 Somerset, Marengo 

March 15-16

Hear how maple syrup was discovered hundreds of years ago, learn how sap is collected from trees, and see how maple syrup is made at the evaporator. Free shuttle to breakfast on Sundays at different locations, see web site for details. 10am - 3pm. Pancake Breakfast $3 child, $6 adult.

Maple Sugaring Days

Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville 

Saturday 10 am-4 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm. $12/adult, $10/senior (62), $8/youth (4-12).

March 15-16

Learn how the early settlers of Naperville tapped maple trees and then turned the sap into maple syrup. Learn to dance a reel, watch cooking demo, see how sap is turned to syrup, make a leaf rubbing and enjoy a Maple Popcorn Ball treat.

Sugar Bush Fair

Spring Valley Nature Center, 1111 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg

March 22-24

See authentic demonstrations of maple syrup production, a pioneer sugar camp, children’s puppet show and a hayride. Then enjoy a delicious breakfast of pancakes with real maple syrup, sausage, juice and coffee. 9am - noon. General admission is free, with tickets required for breakfast and available at the Nature Center two weeks before the event. Pre-sale tickets are $3.50 for a half stack and $4.50 for a full stack. Day-of prices are $4 for a half stack and $5 for a full stack.

I ♥ Faces--Bundled Up Tapping Maple Trees At North Park Nature Center

The challenge for this week's contest at I ♥ Faces is "Bundled Up".   It's hard to believe how bundled up and cold we all were, just last month.   This shot was taken on February 17th, when we learned how to tap maple trees and catch the newly running sap.   Every child got a chance to turn the drill and hammer the spot where the spile would be inserted and a bucket hung.  


We had the help and instruction of a grandfatherly, old soul, one of NPNC's dedicated corp of volunteers.   Ours was a former scout leader who taught us all about maple tree tapping and then led us in a rousing rendition of a song about eating worms.   "Nobody likes me.   Everyone hates me.   Guess I'll go eat worms.   Great big slimy ones.   Little bitty tiny ones.   See how they wiggle and squirm."

It's a timely shot, because this weekend is NPNC's annual and much anticipated 2 day Maple Syrup Festival!
  
Date: March 20-21, 2010 from 10am-3pm

Cost: Free

What's Goin' On: Come on out for sap and syrup tasting, music, storytelling, farmer's market, nature walks and syrup/ sap tasting at North Park Village Nature Center.   Pancakes and breakfast goodies are available for purchase and you can bet the fresh syrup will be liberally flowing.

5801 N Pulaski Rd
Chicago, IL
312-744-5472

Northpark Nature Center 28th Annual Maple Syrup Festival

23 familiar faces

11 deer in the woods

9 sausages (which Zilla recently discovered contained her name)

6 pancakes with hot maple syrup

5 Fuji apples from the fruit stand

3 drips of sap tasted directly from the Maple, which we thanked for sharing

3 bottomless cups of delicious coffee and a cup of hot cocoa with DIY whipped cream (and two brave guys, playing great tunes, who handed over the whipped cream to a 5 yr. old)

2 dream catcher bracelets for $5--one of which is lost already

2 Rastafarians, who waved us into line in front of them, for syrup tasting--hot off the fire

2 birthday coincidences, from a family of our friends, where we discovered not one, but two sets, of our kids have birthdays 1 day apart from each other and all on the 11th or 12th of respective M. starting months!


















2 Hipfamilies

1 Other child with Sagezilla's name--dubbed "Big Sage" or "Winter Sage"-- who we run into a few times a year

1 very cool dress for an early b-day present for Mama

1 spicy packet of cajun pumpkin seeds and 1 bag of honey candy

1 story teller in the woods who took Du and Zilla's request for the Native American Skeleton Woman tale, from Polar Adventure Day, which spawned months of creepy voiced "HONEY HUNGRY............" quotes at home.

1 warm and gorgeous Spring Sunday