Maple Grove School to host state?s First Tapping ceremony
Maple Grove School in the town of Hamburg will host the state’s First Tapping Ceremony March 16 as part of the celebration for Maple Month.
The event, organized through a partnership with the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association, will feature a declaration from the governor, tours of local sugar bushes, a pancake breakfast, raffles and other activities for community members to enjoy. The First Tapping Ceremony is held in a different area of the state each year, and all community members are invited to attend.
“Our first-grade students have been learning about the process of making maple syrup, including collecting the sap and boiling it in an evaporator, for more than 40 years,” said Kelly Trojanowski of the Maple Grove School governing board. “Hosting this event is a perfect tie-in to how children are learning through experience as part of the newly adopted Expeditionary Learning model at Maple Grove School.”
The day will start with a pancake breakfast organized by Friends of Maple Grove Inc., taking place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ed and Sharon’s Banquet Hall. The breakfast will include raffles, with the winners selected at the Maple Grove gymnasium following the ceremony. The breakfast is $6 per person and includes pancakes with maple syrup, eggs, sausage, coffee and milk. Children ages four and under can eat for free. Information on the day’s tours will be available at the banquet hall, which is located at N1295 Highway 64 in Merrill.
The official First Tapping Ceremony will then begin at noon at Maple Grove School, with a reading of a proclamation made by Governor Scott Walker designating March 16 – April 16 as Maple Month in Wisconsin. It will feature representatives from the Maple Syrup Producers Association, the Maple Queen, Alice in Dairyland and a number of other local dignitaries.
After the ceremony, visitors will be invited to tour local sugar bushes to learn more about the tree-tapping process and production of maple syrup. There will also be a tour of Vogel Farms and its robotic milking system, which allows cows to eat, rest and be milked at their leisure. The sugar bush and farm tours will be available from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with directions provided at the banquet hall during breakfast and at Maple Grove School following the ceremony.
“Our community has a rich tradition of maple syrup production employing various types of sugar bushes,” said Trojanowski. “This event is a great way for everyone to learn more about them and their contributions to the Merrill area.”
Maple Grove School is located at 290 County Highway F in Hamburg. For more information on the event, call Kelly Trojanowski at 715-892-2199 or email [email protected].