Three glorious weekends to celebrate the end of cabin fever! Take free tours of Thurman sugarhouses. See sap being gathered and boiled and enjoy fun activities, delectable goodies, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day. Like pancakes? 9 a.m. pancake breakfast at Valley Road Maple Farm. And if you've never sampled old-fashioned jackwax, be sure to take in this year's Maple Sugar Party at Town Hall on Saturday, March13th!

Information: 518-623-9718 or ThurmanInfo@aol.com .
Saturday, March 13th ~ Annual Maple Sugar Party
Held at Thurman town hall, Athol, the all-you-can eat buffet topped off with genuine jackwax benefits the American Cancer Society. Serving begins at 4 p.m. and lasts until all are served. Enjoy entertainment by local musicians. 2010 prices to be announced. Community members asked to contribute dishes for the buffet. Info. 518-623-2909, ThurmanInfo@aol.com.

Photo by Amy Manney
FIRING UP THE EVAPORATOR

Photo by Ray Senecal

Photo by Amy Manney

Photo by Kelly Kilgallon


Photo by Jim Ligon

Photo by Kelly Kilgallon

Photo by Sally Feihel

Family Fun on Tap

Bring the whole family to watch maple syrup being made before your eyes. You'll see high-tech evaporators with reverse osmosis and SteamAways, as well as traditional wood-fired evaporators. Wonderful maple treats will tempt your palate, and special activities will fill your day with fun. Sugarhouses will open their doors for touring and tasting from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. each day, and Valley Road Maple Farm invites you to come early (9 a.m.) and enjoy a pancake breakfast dripping with...what else?...pure Thurman maple syrup!

On Saturday evening, March 13th, make sure to plan on attending the annual Maple Sugar Party to benefit the American Cancer Society. It's a delectable all-you-can-eat buffet topped off with old-fashioned jackwax for dessert, accompanied by local musicians. Held at town hall, 311 Athol Road, Athol, NY, it begins at 4 and lasts till all are served.

Here's a little thumbnail description of each of the sugarhouses on the 2009 tour. As soon as the 2010 lineup of openhouses has been announced, a revised map will be posted here. If you can't print a good copy, email ThurmanInfo@aol.com to have the map emailed to you, or follow signs and pick one up at any of the sugarhouses when you arrive in Thurman.

COME SEE US
  www.Thurman-NY

2010 Participants
Watch this space for updates!

1. Adirondack Gold Maple Farm
74 Bear Pond Road
Here third generation maple producers operate an old fashioned sugarhouse. They have 700 taps (600 with tubing and 100 in buckets) and a 2' x 6' wood-fired stainless steel evaporator. New featrue here this year will be Adirondack Suds and Scents, offering a wide variety of homemade soaps (see videotape of soapmaking demo) and pure soy candles. Stock up on both. a;pmg with your maple products for gifts for the year. Family activities are planned at Adirondack Gold Maple Farm for both days of each weekend. Come meet the Maple Queen and browse the Kenyons' full line of maple products. Read more at www.thurman-ny.com/Directory-all.asp.

2. Martin's Lumber
280 Valley Road
www.PersisGranger.com/Adk_Martins.htm Gary and Wini Martin have a one hundred-acre certified tree farm with a portable bandsaw mill, and their site is also the home of Lucyann's Stained Glass Stepping Stones and her necklaces and paper bead earrings. You can see these craft items and demonstrations of the sawmill operation. They are proud to keep their sustainable resource, and will talk to you about silviculture, explaining the principles of sustainable forestry. They will demonstrate sawing, including selectively cut maple that bears the indications of tapping in bygone days. Their displays will include maple boards, showing some of the unique and beautiful grains of the sugar maple.

3. Valley Road Maple Farm
190 Valley Road
Sugarmakers Mike Hill and Ralph Senecal boil in a new state-of-the-art sugarhouse. They have 1,500 taps on vacuum with reverse osmosis. Their products include syrup, cream, candy, sugar, cotton candy, and they will open early for breakfast. Valley Road Maple earned the Vermont international maple syrup contest for light amber syrup and the 2008 and 2009 New York State Fairl first prize for maple candy. They will host breakfast each morning beginning at 9 a.m. -- hot, fluffy pancakes with pure maple syrup drizzled over the top! MMmmmmm. Read more at www.thurman-ny.com/Directory-all.asp.

4. Toad Hill Maple Farm
151 Charles Olds Road
www.toadhillmaple.com
The Galusha family has produced pure Adirondack Maple Products at Toad Hill for more than 30 years. Toad Hill is the largest maple producer in Warren County, with more than 4,000 vacuum-assisted taps spread across three sugar bushes. See demonstrations of the equipment and browse--syrup, maple cream, sugar and candy.