ITHACA, N.Y. – Cayuga Nature Center’s annual Maple Fest will be serving up a pancake breakfast, live music, and fascinating presentations for all ages on Sunday, March 17. Come feast on the wonderful breakfast by Luna Catering. Luna will be serving buttermilk pancakes, local maple syrup, breakfast sausage, and an apple dish. Coffee from Copper Horse Coffee Roasters and orange juice are also on the menu. Breakfast will be served from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and there will be live music in the Lodge between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Presentations will take place between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The Canaan Jazz Trio, playing jazz and swing from the 1920’s-30’s with a dash of Hank Williams thrown in, will be playing from 10 to 10:45am. Brookton Bridge, playing savory alt-folk-rock with a world beat twist, will be performing 11 a.m. to 12:30pm. They feature all original music, with passionate vocal harmonies, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, melodica, keys and congas.
As in previous years, there are informative presentations available along with displays and your chance to visit with the many live animal ambassadors that make their home at the Cayuga Nature Center. At 11 a.m. you can meet some of the Nature Center’s native avian animal ambassadors up close with Savannah Wilson, the Nature Center’s animal education manager.
At noon there is a maple tour with Dr. Brian Chabot, professor emeritus at Cornell University. Learn about maple sugar production and the impact of climate change with a walking tour of the Cayuga Nature Center’s maple trail. Professor Chabot is an expert on the ecology of sugar maple as a dominant forest tree species, the technologies used to produce sugar sustainably, and the future of the maple sugar industry.
Find out about the range of fish species in Cayuga Lake with Natalee Wrege, manager of aquatic animals at 1 p.m. Join Natalee on an exploration of Cayuga Lake’s aquatic biodiversity with the live animals featured in the Nature Center’s dual 650-gallon “Cayuga Lake-Past and Present” aquaria. This presentation will introduce visitors to some of the native, exotic and invasive species found in our local aquatic ecosystems. Learn about the changes that the Cayuga Lake bioregion has endured over the 300 years and how humans have influenced these changes.
Among the vendors displaying their wares at Maple Fest are Daisy Hollow Farm who will be on hand with their all-natural, handcrafted soaps, lotions, lip balms, deodorants, and salves. They will also be selling their handcrafted needle-felted soap scrubbies made using their own hand-dyed wool.
Tickets:
- Members: $10 Adult, $5 Children, Age 3 and under Free, $25 Family (up to 5 people)
- Non-members: $12 Adult, $7 Children, Age 3 and Under Free, $35 Family
- YNAP member families receive free admission.
For more information about this year’s Maple Fest! visit: www.priweb.org/maplefest
Featured image: Cayuga Nature Center’s sugar shack (provided photo)