Thousands flock to largest maple syrup festival in two counties

The Lipskie family from Neustadt and Darling family from Hanover were enjoying some fresh maple taffy they had just rolled themselves. Left to right, Harmony Lipskie, age 9; Brody Darling, age 3; Owen Lipskie, age 6 and Joshua Darling, age 7.

Hub Staff

Despite a prediction of wet weather earlier in the week, the rain mostly held off for Saugeen Bluffs Maple Syrup Festival March 25 and 26. With the dry but cool temperatures thousands flocked to the largest outdoor maple syrup festival in Bruce and Grey counties, hosted by the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority at Saugeen Bluffs, just north of Paisley.

The S.S Trolley, provided by the Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce, was full as it made scheduled runs from Port Elgin and Southampton, dropping people off in the heart of the festival. As well, transportation to and from Paisley was made available to the long-running annual festival.

A whole host of attractions, demonstrations and events had something for all ages; from horse drawn wagon rides to the popular pioneer encampment and black powder demonstrations, which this year included the replica of a 3lb naval cannon used in the War of 1812.

Weekend highlights included two of HGTV’s own Wood Carver Kings as well as Four Dogs Flying Entertainment, both attracted crowds of people enthralled with their respective skills.

Chainsaw carving artist Paul Frenette, who in addition to Carver Kings has been on OLN and Discovery Channel's 'Saw Dogs’, demonstrated a variety of carving and wood-burning techniques, creating life-size sculptures, alongside his son Jacob and Randy Gauthier. Frenette, who is from Kitchener, Ontario, said he had been carving for around 15 years. “We do competitions all over the world and shows all over the place,” he said, adding that he was likely a top carver in Canada and among the top 10 percent in the world.

There was some high flying canine action in the Four Paws Flying Entertainment show as owner Jenelle Miller, with the help of Don Bluette, showed off the agility of their dogs as they caught frisbees mid air and leapt over hurdles, performing to applause from the onlooking crowds.

The maple syrup flowed throughout the weekend with fresh maple taffy and line-ups for the ever-popular pancake meals by the Paisley Agricultural Society. Live music, train rides, animals and crafts rounded out the fun filled weekend for families to enjoy.

The Paisley Agricultural Society's pancake meals had people lining up throughout the festival.

The S.S Trolley provided transportation from Port Elgin and Southampton into the heart of the Saugeen Bluffs Maple Syrup Festival.

Reenacting a scene from the War of 1812, Urb Buwalda (left), Ed Maxwell and Mike Robertson (right) had come ashore from their ship, the Earl of Moira, with their 3lb naval gun to assist infantry troops.