Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve's Maple Sugaring Days set for the first two weekends of March

Programs to run March 7, 8, 14 and 15

(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 1/12/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ...

Come learn the time-honored art and craft of making maple syrup during Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve’s annual Maple Sugaring Days, held the first two weekends of March.

Explore the history of maple sugaring in America and participate in the step-by-step process of turning maple sap into maple syrup. See how a maple tree is tapped and gather sap from already-tapped trees. Watch the sap being slowly cooked down the old-fashioned way, over a wood fire.

And don’t forget to play a round of the always-entertaining “Guess that Syrup” taste-test game, featuring a variety of delicious syrups on a plate of silver-dollar pancakes.

“This is a great program for everyone, both adults and kids,” says Strawberry Hill’s environmental educator, Eddy Rubin, who leads the program. “It’s a great opportunity to participate in an activity that’s played a central role in our history, especially here in the Northeast. Plus it’s just fun. Without a doubt this is one of our most popular programs of the year."

This year’s Maple Sugaring Days are set for Saturdays and Sundays, March 7, 8, 14 and 15. The Saturday programs begin every hour from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Sunday programs run hourly from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. The program fee is $5 per adult and $3 per child for those who preregister by Feb. 13. After Feb. 13, the fee is $6 per adult and $4 per child for Strawberry Hill members, and $8 per adult and $5 per child for nonmembers. Children under 3 are free.

Space is limited and fills up fast, so pre-registration is required. Call Strawberry Hill at (717) 642-5840 to reserve your space around the fire.

And if all that talk about maple syrup whets your appetite, head a mile up the road from Strawberry Hill to the Mount Hope United Methodist Church, where Strawberry Hill volunteers will be cooking up their annual pancake-and-sausage breakfast from 7:30 to 11:30 each Saturday morning (March 7 and 14) during Maple Sugaring Days.

Admission to the all-you-care-to-eat breakfast is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under. No reservations are required, and all proceeds benefit Strawberry Hill programs. In case of inclement weather, call (717) 642-5840 to confirm. Mount Hope United Methodist Church is located at 1945 Mount Hope Road, Fairfield.

Adams County’s only non-profit environmental education center, Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve is located at 1537 Mount Hope Road, just three miles outside of Fairfield, Pa. For more than 20 years, Strawberry Hill has managed, preserved and interpreted its more than 600 acres as a living classroom for the community.

Open to the public year-round, Strawberry Hill offers a picnic area, nature center and 10 miles of walking trails through wooded hillsides and along mountain streams. It also provides educational programs and special events throughout the year. To learn more, visit www.strawberryhill.org.