SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Cedarvale Farm has built its business around tapping into one of New York State’s most plentiful resources–maple trees. The farm, located just outside the city of Syracuse, has operated as a maple syrup company for decades. Every March for over 40 years, Cedarvale has invited the public onto the farm for an inside look into how maple syrup goes from sap in a maple tree to the sweet topping on their pancakes.
The COVID-19 pandemic derailed Maple Weekend in March 2020, cancelling the event for the first time ever. A year later, with clearer guidelines and practices to keep employees and visitors safe, Maple Weekend was back up and running for the month of March this year. The event runs every Saturday and Sunday throughout March, offering visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how maple syrup is made.
The weekend festivities drew a crowd excited for the staple product.
“I am a huge maple syrup enthusiast,” Susan Kelly said.
Kelly drove from Chittenango for Maple Weekend and brought two friends from out of town to learn about Cedarvale’s maple syrup production.
Kelly appreciated the efforts Cedarvale made to keep visitors safe and socially distanced throughout the day.
“Their tours are virtual so that you don’t have to interact with other people,” she said. “Everybody is wearing gloves and masks, and we feel very comfortable.”
When Cedarvale Farm’s operator Michael Spicer was in middle school, a visit to Cedarvale Farm inspired him to start making his own maple syrup with the trees in his backyard. Years later, when he learned the original owner was planning to sell the farm, Spicer stepped in to save it.
“I called the owner and tried to see if I could take over the company,” he said.
Despite still being a college student at the time, Spicer became the operator of Cedarvale Farm over two years ago.
Spicer was determined to keep the tradition of Maple Weekend when he took over the farm. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, shutting down all plans for the storied event. To make sure the event ran smoothly and safely this year, Spicer had to change the look and feel of the whole weekend.
Cedarvale developed contactless tour options for visitors to explore the vast forest of maple trees on the farm. People can scan QR codes on signs scattered around the property that will bring up two different choices: an audio tour or a more basic, read-along tour. Both tours guide visitors into the woods to various stops, each accompanied by a sign displaying information about a specific step in the maple syrup process.
In addition to the tours, Cedarvale welcomed small groups of visitors at a time inside their production barn, where the machines that boil the sap into syrup are housed. Breakfast foods, including pancakes, eggs and bacon, were also served, along with plenty of helpings of maple syrup.
“One of my favorite things is a weekend like this,” Spicer said. “We can bring customers in and show them how their food is made. And we get to see their big smiles on their face after getting to taste such a delicious product.”
Maple Weekend wraps up this weekend, March 27 and 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
