Huntsville is finally giving the mighty maple the recognition it deserves. The inaugural Muskoka Maple Festival, coming to Main Street this Saturday, April 23, is the culmination of a month-long campaign – the Maple Trail – highlighting Muskoka’s maple producers, restaurants, and resorts.
Featuring everything from an all-day pancake breakfast and maple-inspired cuisine to fiddlers and circus performers, downtown Huntsville will be a festive place to be.
“It’s been a very positive season for maple producers, from what I understand,” said Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Kelly Haywood. “There are copious amounts to celebrate!”
The organizing committee is particularly excited for the fiddling component of the festival, said Haywood. “We have some great fiddlers coming to play on the Town Hall steps – Gibson brothers, Scotia Junction, and the Fernglen Fiddleheads. In future years we’d like to grow it into a fiddle festival. It’s really in line with the traditional maple sugaring off and heritage Canadiana.” Future components could also include an antique show, quilts and heritage crafts, she added.
Other live performances this Saturday include a wildlife caller, chainsaw carving, aerial silks and stilt walking by Theatre Arcturus, and skateboard-riding fire juggler Fireguy.
The all-day pancake breakfast hosted by the Rotary Club of Huntsville will feature locally produced maple syrup, sausages, and, later in the day, soup, said Haywood. Plus chefs from local restaurants will be serving up tasty treats like maple barbecue ribs and maple glazed chicken, and a variety of local vendors will be displaying their wares.
“We’ve had great support from local businesses,” said Haywood. “And after the festival, local restaurants are promoting a Muskoka Dinner Jacket evening. You can wear your favorite plaid enjoy a maple-themed meal and live entertainment.
Entry to the festival is free, but there will be Muskoka Maple Festival buttons available for two dollars each at festival entrances to help support the event, said Haywood.
For more information, look for festival guides at downtown businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, or visit muskokamaplefestival.ca.
And while you’re downtown, don’t forget to check out the Earth Week Community Celebration at the Huntsville Public Library, including information on how to start seeds, make your own green cleaning products, and identify the wild foods in your backyard, and how making maple syrup is a sustainable industry. Get the details here.
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