Festival provides chance for community to unite
SHEPHERD—Carey Hammel went to his hometown Saturday for something to do before the most stressful week of the semester.
The Shepherd senior attended the 48th annual Maple Syrup Festival.
“It definitely relieves stress before finals because you get to eat syrup, pancakes and sausage,” he said. “I also ran in the 5K race which was a lot of fun and it is good exercise and another way to relieve stress.”
Hammel has been attending the festival as long as he can remember, along with many other Shepherd natives.
The Festival, which culminated Sunday, featured events including an all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast, tours of the Shepherd Sugar Bush syrup factory, old car show, carnival rides and the sale of maple syrup and other maple products.
It started in 1958 to earn enough money to finance an eight-week summer recreation program for children in the school district and has grown to fund a 10-week summer program. The town also has been able to build and operate a community swimming pool and maintain a community park with the funds.
Shepherd resident Kenna Rhynard has been involved in the festival for the past 20 years, starting as a child by collecting sap from the trees and riding the wagon that carried it.
“It’s a big importance to our community,” she said “It brings the whole community together, and the money funds a lot of things for kids such as books and a park.”
The community starts tapping maple trees at the end of February for sap to make syrup.
An ideal temperature to get sap out of the trees is 46 degrees during the day and sunshine and 28 degrees at night.
“Most of the trees that we tap are on streets and everyone usually lets you tap trees on their property,” said Neil Nelson, Shepherd resident and volunteer at the Shepherd Sugar Bush factory. “On some people’s property we have been tapping trees for years and we keep doing it. We do ask permission though and there are very few people that will turn us down.”
The maple sap goes through an extensive filtering, evaporating and boiling process before it becomes syrup.
Some syrup is bottled to be sold, while some is used to make candy and other products.
The Shepherd Sugar Bush factory sells the syrup in bottles ranging from a half pint to a gallon.
It also makes pure maple sugar, cotton candy made from maple sugar, candy and maple cream, which is a high concentrate maple syrup cooled to make a spread.
Prices range from $4 for a half pint of syrup to $34 for a gallon.
“We have had some of the lowest prices on syrup this year,” Nelson said. “Prior to working here, I didn’t realize how much plain, hard work goes in to making it. When people complain about the prices I tell them to come down and work and it will change their opinion.”
