MONTPELIER, Ohio — If you didn't know, we are in peak maple syrup season here in northwest Ohio.
And there's a weekend event where you can not only learn about maple syrup, but also sample some locally made sweet stuff.
Behind the Williams County Fairgrounds along the St. Joseph River, you'll find dozens of maple trees, tapped and offering up sap for collection.
For years, the Northwest Ohio Maple Syrup Producers have used this area to not only distribute maple syrup, but to also help educate visitors on how the sweet stuff is made.
"It's a pretty long process, a couple of hours once we have the sap actually gathered till we can get it boiled down to maple syrup. And again, it kind of depends on how fast we boil it and how big of an evaporator we have," said Jeff Dick, president of the Northwest Ohio Maple Syrup Producers.
Dick said authentic maple syrup is much healthier than many store bought brands filled with additives and preservatives.
His family has been producing maple syrup in the area since 1965, and for many it's a hobby that is consistently growing into a burgeoning business in the region.
Not only selling syrup, but using it to create dozens of other artisan products.
"It used to be where families made it for their own use in this area. And it has just recently been more commercialized where we we're selling it out to the public to use," Dick said.
And you can sample this locally sourced maple syrup this Saturday at the Williams County Fairgrounds during the Maple Syrup Festival.
The festival features an $8 pancake-and-sausage breakfast for visitors to try out the syrup made on site. Then a free horse drawn wagon ride will shuttle you to the sugar shack to see this process first hand.
The event has grown over the years to include many other free, family friendly activities as the demand for locally made syrup grows.
"We hope to make it grow bigger every single year, and to have it going as long as we have maple syrup producers. They really do this because they love the art," said Anne Marie Michaels, Outreach and education coordinator, Williams Soil and Water Conservation District.
The 2023 Maple Syrup Festival runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Williams County Fairgrounds.