UMaine to serve children sundaes for Maple Sunday Learning games focus on sap season

ORONO – The University of Maine Page Farm and Home Museum on campus will sponsor Maine Maple Sunday events for children on April 3, an afternoon of games and education about one of Maine’s oldest agricultural industries.

The event begins at 1 p.m. with a video, “The Maple Sugaring Story,” at the museum. After the film, children grouped by grade levels kindergarten through grade six will play games and hear stories as part of a learning exercise.

Maine is one of the biggest producers of pure maple syrup in the world, museum Director Patricia Henner said. The museum looks forward to teaching children about maple sugaring and making a visit to the university’s maple sugar operation in University Forest on College Avenue Extension. The daylong program always is well attended, she said.

Sugaring is one of New England’s oldest agricultural enterprises and is traditionally the first harvest of the year following winter, Henner said. Sugaring was first practiced by American Indians and learned by colonists and settlers in New England. Settlers referred to maple syrup as Indian sugar or Indian molasses.

Because the official Maine Maple Sunday fell on Easter this year, UMaine is holding the annual event April 3.

“At 2:30 p.m., we will drive out to the University of Maine maple sugaring operation on College Avenue Extension,” Henner said, where participants will get a guided walking tour of the university’s “sugarbush,” the maple tree stands where the maple sugaring story begins. They will tour the sugarhouse where sap is simmered and enjoy a sample of fresh maple syrup straight from the evaporator and poured over vanilla ice cream.

“It is a maple sugar sundae on Maine Maple Sunday,” said Henner. To cover the costs of materials, the nonprofit educational museum requests a $3 per child fee for the event. Registration information is available by calling 581-4100. Information about Page Farm and Home Museum exhibits and mission may be found at www.ume.maine.edu/~pfhm.