March is maple sugaring time in northern Michigan. An annual Maple Sugaring Days event presented by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear will be held over two days – March 7-8 at the Olsen and Dechow Farms. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Sunday hours are 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Maple Sugaring Days offers a variety of demonstrations and hands-on activities to get outdoors and learn about the history of maple sugaring.
The family event allows attendees to experience the making of maple syrup from start to finish, including a stop at the historic Dechow sugar shack. After viewing the process in action at the Dechow farm, visit the Olsen Farm across the street, to see the final boiling of sap, sugar making, kids’ games, and maple syrup snow cones. Various maple products and maple syrup will be on-hand in the Olsen farmhouse. If walking between stops at the Dechow farm is not your pace, a one-stop demonstration is on-going at the Olsen Farm.
Participants should plan on spending 2.5 hours at Maple Sugaring Days to experience both farm sites. Parking is available at each farm in a snowplowed field near the farmhouses.
