This past Saturday we had the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival in Elmira. Each year this festival seems to attract more and more people. This year was no different. On Saturday the weather was perfect to host such a wonderful event. I live about half a kilometre away from the festivities and I could smell the aroma of pancakes from my house. My wife and I walked down to the main street which is Arthur St. They close off Arthur St for the day so that all of the vendors can setup their booths in the outdoor mall. They have every kind of vendor that you can imagine.
If you like food, then then you came to the right place. My personal favourites are the back bacon on a bun and the Lions Apple Fritters. Some of the more interesting eats were the pickle on a stick and deep fried Mars bars.
Some of the other events that people could participate in were:
You could enjoy the yummy pancakes. The line was pretty long so we passed on the pancakes this year
Mega Mutts dog show
Old MacDonalds farm
Sugar Bush tours
There are around 2000+ volunteers to support the event. Proceeds from the festival go to support local charities and non-profit organizations.
I did a little video to show the size of the crowd.
Sorry about the audio
Looks like the bus service to Elmira will contine for a while longer. Route 21 is starting to pickup momentum now and there was enough interest in the service to continue the pilot program for another year.
“It has been quite successful,” Neil Malcolm, a Waterloo regional transit planner, said of Grand River Transit’s first foray into the countryside.
Ridership doubled within an 8 month period. With a low of 158 riders in April and 315 riders in December. About 30% of the riders get picked up in downtowm Elmira. The most popular destinations are Conestogo Mall and the St Jacob’s farmers market on market day being the busiest.
Council is slated to decide the fate of the Elmira service in 2011. If the route becomes permanent, staff is recommending that its costs be covered by township residents, which is estimated to cost between $30 and $32 per household.
I can see that this service would benefit alot of residents here. I hope it survives the year and council approves it.
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Please note, I wrote this blog post in 2010. The day the festival is on changes every year so make sure you check http://www.elmiramaplesyrup.com/ for more information.
What do you get when you have pancakes, maple syrup, apple fritters, back bacon on a bun, wagon rides, sugar bush tours and a street lined with people? You get one of my favourite times of year. You get the Elmira Maple Syrup festival or Sapfest. The Elmira Maple Syrup festival is the world’s largest one day consumption of maple syrup. This year Sapfest is taking place on March 27th, 2010.
The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival builds and strengthens community spirit through the involvement of a large number of area residents in the planning and operation of a one day festival. Participation in a fun filled day supported by 2000+ volunteers raises funds to support local charities and non-profit organizations. Since 1965, the Festival continues to promote our community, surrounding areas and local maple syrup producers.
Some ativities are the Sugar Bush tours, Mega Mutts dog show, Pancake flipping contest and much much more. For the complete schedule please visit 2010 Schedule.
Check out this map of of the activities available.
By Warren McNeil,
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