The Fresh Air Fund’s Sugar Maple Celebration: Connecting Community Through the Wonders of Nature

Each year, The Fresh Air Fund’s Maple Celebration welcomes the arrival of spring with an enchanting festival set against the backdrop of the Sharpe Reservation’s natural beauty. This fun gathering invites Fresh Air families and the wider community to explore the magic of maple syrup season and the remarkable wonder of the great outdoors.

Free to all, the celebration offers a rich tapestry of experiences: breathtaking landscapes, vibrant live music and a lively vendor hall filled with local treasures. Visitors got creative at arts and crafts stations, marveled at a planetarium show, met farm animals up close and enjoyed storytelling with local authors. From the excitement of a parade to the educational maple sugaring demonstration, the day was a spirited celebration of nature, creativity and The Fresh Air Fund community.

Welcoming Spring with Sweetness and Wonder

All things maple syrup is at the heart of the Sugar Maple Celebration. George Steele showed visitors how Native Americans used hollowed logs to boil sap from maple trees to turn into sugar.

After discovering the rich history behind maple syrup making, visitors lined up for syrup tasting and to watch volunteers make delicious maple cotton candy. The highlight of the day was the annual Hudson Valley Maple Syrup Judging Contest, where a panel of judges sampled maple syrup from all around the region to determine the best.

Millie Mack’s Marvelous Maple Syrup took home the coveted first place prize!

Arts and Crafts, Live Music and More

The Nature Discovery Center offered a space for children and adults alike to unleash their creativity through hands-on arts and crafts, using markers, colorful cutouts, and twigs to create vibrant maple crowns and wands, creating joyful expressions of springtime.

The sounds of live music accompanied visitors as they explored a variety of interactive experiences throughout the day. Visitors learned about different animal furs from the trapper, met beloved characters like Smokey the Bear and the Sharpe Maple Fairy, watched a sawmill demonstration by the logger and gathered to hear authors bring their stories to life through engaging book readings.

A packed vendor hall featured food and crafts from local artists, which included woodworkers, jewelry makers and of course maple syrup.

The annual tradition of the Maple Celebration was such a special way to welcome spring, inviting children and their families to spend time together, explore the natural beauty of Sharpe Reservation and indulge in sweet maple treats!