Lots to see and do at the Saugeen Bluffs Maple Syrup Festival

Six year old, Jake Fitter, winding some fresh maple taffy onto a stick for a tasty treat at Saugeen Bluffs Maple Syrup Festival.

Hub Staff

The weather was cool and there was a fresh, light blanket of snow on the ground this weekend but the syrup was flowing and families were coming by bus or by car for the annual Saugeen Bluffs Maple Syrup Festival, April 2 and 3.

Photo: Maple syrup bubbling over an open fire, which was then poured onto a bed of snow to create maple taffy.

No one knows for sure how long this event has been running north of Paisley, the largest outdoor maple syrup festival in Bruce and Grey counties, but this year it was easier than ever to get to as the Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce provided free bus rides from Southampton and Port Elgin with stops located at the Southampton Coliseum, The Plex and Allan’s Fireside Grill. Children had an opportunity to make themselves a wristband en route which got them into the festival for free.

New events to the festival this year included Scales Nature Park, which provided visitors with a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with a variety of reptiles, mainly local inhabitants; and the West Coast Lumberjack Show offered visitors fun demonstrations on such things as axe throwing, sawing and chainsaw carving.

Crowds also gathered to watch other demonstrations such as the R&R Pet Paradise Dog Shows and black powder rifle demonstrations. A pioneer encampment gave the feeling of a busy, yet simpler way of life.

Horse drawn wagon rides, crafts and games as well as various vendors kept visitors busy throughout the day, while the Paisley Kinsmen kept everyone’s appetite satiated with fresh pancakes and sausages topped with plenty of maple syrup. Live music throughout the day entertained families as they ate.

Jackie Ramsay from the West Coast Lumberjack Show lines up the target as she demonstrates some axe throwing.