Maple Fest returns this Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8, at the Fox Valley Park District’s Red Oak Nature Center, 930 N. River Road in North Aurora.
Maple Fest runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, with timed sessions beginning at the top of each hour. Admission is $5 for ages 3 and up, and advance online registration is encouraged, according to a press release from the district.
Everyone age 3 and older must have a ticket for entry into a presentation time slot, organizers said. Each one-hour program begins indoors with a short presentation before guests head outside onto the trails. There, participants learn how sap is collected and transformed through a careful, time-intensive process, according to the release.
“Guests are going to learn exactly where syrup comes from,” says Christy Graser, Red Oak’s facility manager, in the release. “People make the assumption that syrup comes straight out of trees and that’s not exactly true — you have to go through a process before it goes on your pancakes and waffles. We’re going to demonstrate that process with the help of guests.”
Guests can try drilling into a tree, tapping it and then help carry sap buckets. An evaporator will be fired up onsite, illustrating the transformation from sap to syrup, organizers said.
For those looking to sample the results, refreshments will be available for purchase, including a three-sample flight featuring early- and late-season syrups from Runamok Maple, along with a whiskey barrel-aged variety.
For more information, go to the Fox Valley Park District website at https://www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/.
History event set at Oswego museum
The Little White School Museum in Oswego will present a multimedia history lecture on Saturday, March 7, on two of the Oswegoland Park District’s main natural areas, Saw Wee Kee and Waa Kee Sha parks.
The program, presented by museum coordinator Joe Noce, starts at noon at the museum at 72 Polk St., according to a press release about the event.
Saw Wee Kee, Waa Kee Sha and their surrounding areas have long been more than just recreation sites, and have rich histories extending back well before the earliest American settlers first arrived, the release said. Those attending will learn about the history of both parks, ranging from Native American ownership to the site of some of the region’s largest mining operations.
Registration is $5 for the program, with proceeds earmarked for the operations of the Little White School Museum. To register in advance, call the Oswegoland Park District at 630-554-1010. Walk-ins the day of the program are also welcome, according to the release.
For more information, call the museum at 630-554-2999 or email jnoce@oswegolandpd.org.
The Little White School Museum is a joint project of the Oswegoland Park District and the not-for-profit Oswegoland Heritage Association.
Sons of American Legion plan Yorkville breakfast
The Yorkville Sons of The American Legion will hold its monthly breakfast fundraiser from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, at the Yorkville American Legion, 9054 E. Veterans Parkway in Yorkville.
The buffet at the event, which is open to the public, will consist of biscuits and gravy, pancakes, scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, tomato juice, orange juice, milk, coffee and an omelet station, organizers said.
The cost of the breakfast is $12 for adults 18 to 54 years old, $10 for those 55 years old and older and $8 for those 6 to 17 years old, according to organizers. Children 5 years old and younger eat for free.
