Maple Festival to take place in Berkshire on Saturday

The annual Maple Festival will be taking place around Berkshire, N.Y. on Saturday, March 25. The event will kick off with a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Berkshire Fire Station. 

The Berkshire Ladies Auxiliary will be serving up pancakes with sausage and eggs and real local maple syrup from SweeTrees Maple Products. The cost is $7 for adults, $5 for ages five through 12, and ages under five are free. 

Following the breakfast, the first annual Sap Run/Walk, hosted by the Newark Valley Chamber of Commerce, will take place on Jewett Hill Road in Berkshire. The run / walk is 0.8 miles, and registration begins at 8 a.m. in the Berkshire Community Hall located on Jewett Hill Road and behind the fire station and library. 

Visit www.newarkvalleychamber.com/sap-run–walk.html to register in advance. The registration fee is $10 for adults 18 and older, and $7 for ages under 18. The registration fee includes a t-shirt (until supplies run out). 

Also available during the festival are approximately 14 vendors who will be showcasing a variety of crafts, soaps, candles, baby gifts, and pet beds and more in the Berkshire Community Hall. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Berkshire Community Hall and the Berkshire Fire Department. You can view a list of vendors on the library’s website, www.berkshirefreelibrary.org.

At the Berkshire Free Library, a variety of family crafts will be offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

In the Community Hall, at 10 a.m., a group of students from Cornell University’s Design Connect team will be presenting initial designs for the Town of Berkshire’s Recreation Plan. These designs were developed from feedback gathered at the children and youth design meeting held March 4, and include proposals for playgrounds, walking trails, improved fishing access to Owego Creek, community gardens and more. The Design Connect team is seeking additional feedback and suggestions from the community and will incorporate these comments into the final Recreation Plan. 

At SweeTrees Maple Products, located on Glen Road, an open house and demonstrations will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. 

The Berkshire Fire Station, Community Hall, and Berkshire Free Library are located on Route 38 at the intersection of Jewett Hill Road. SweeTrees Maple Products is located at 761 Glen Rd., near the intersection of West Creek Road.