Geauga Park District
Geauga Park District is offering a rich collection of free maple sugaring events at Swine Creek Reservation, 16004 Hayes Road in Middlefield.
For more information on these programs, contact the park district at 440-286-9516 or visit them online at www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.
Sweet Maple Sugaring Fun
Geauga Park District is offering a rich collection of free maple sugaring events at Swine Creek Reservation, 16004 Hayes Road in Middlefield.
- Sap’s-a-Risin’
March 4, 11 and 18, 12-4 p.m.
Now in their 32nd year, festivities include sap-gathering in the sugarbush with a horse-drawn sap sled, sugar house tours, stations about historical maple sugaring with costumed interpreters, samples of fresh syrup and in the lodge, free maple treats, a large crackling fireplace and live music by the Oak Island Skunk Jumpers on March 4, The Mr. Haney String Band on March 11 and The Real Deal String Band on March 18.
- Elderberries: A Sweet Treat from the Trees
March 15, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Seniors will enjoy hands-on activities at the sugarbush and sugar house discovering the secrets of pure Geauga maple syrup. Plus, a free lunch will be provided upon arrival by the Geauga County Department on Aging and University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, who co-present Elderberries each month. Registration is required.
- Timbertots: Maple Sugar Time
March 8, 10-11 a.m. and 1-2 p.m.
March 10, 3-4 p.m.
Collecting sap with smaller-sized buckets and checking out why the sugarhouse is steaming are just a couple fun things children ages 3-5 will do to learn how maple syrup gets from tree to table. Registration is required.
- Tree Tapper’s Ball
March 10, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
Parkman Community House
Now in its 30th year, this FREE old-fashioned square dance includes instruction in fun fashion and rip-snortin’, old-time string band music by the very talented Sap Run Revelers. Dress casually and be ready for a really good time with other couples and families equally excited for spring. Registration is required.
Swine Creek is also a featured stop on two drive-it-yourself tours on March 4 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: the Ohio Maple Producers’ Northeast Ohio Maple Madness Tour and the Maple Producers of Northeast Ohio’s Maple Tour of Northeast Ohio. Tour maps with complete lists of participating sugar houses are available at ohiomaple.org.
Beech Leaf Disease Update
March 7, 7-8:30 p.m.
Constance Hausman, PhD, Cleveland Metroparks plant and restoration ecologist, will provide an update on beech leaf disease and how it is affecting Northeast Ohio woodlands at The West Woods Nature Center in Russell Township. Presented in conjunction with the Native Plant Society of Northeast Ohio.
Hunter Education Course
March 17 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Geauga Park District will train young and beginner hunters on safety, archery, ammunition, ethics and conservation during the two-day course at Big Creek Park’s Donald W. Meyer Center. Attendance is necessary both days to complete the coursework, which ends with a quiz. Students age 18 or younger must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is now available through the Ohio Division of Wildlife at https://oh-web.s3licensing.com/Event/Index.
The Park District’s hunter education course offerings will also soon include clinics sponsored by the National Rifle Association. Their focus is the animals and their habitats, the goal being to make attendees more effective hunters.
A Wild Turkey clinic offering is expected to follow sometime this spring before turkey season begins.
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