Tasting the maple goodness

Anneke McGee, 4, tried a maple candy sucker in the sugar shack not long after the annual Springwater Maple Syrup Festival opened its first day of the 2017 season on Saturday morning, March 4. From Niagara Falls, Anneke was visiting family and friends in the Aylmer area as her mother Kristy Rauhe grew up in town. The Springwater Maple Syrup Festival is held on the south side of the conservation area where visitors can enjoy horse drawn wagon rides and learn how maple syrup is made historically, from when aboriginal Canadians discovered the sweet treat, to how pioneer settlers made it to modern day. A brunch run by local community organizations is held across Springwater Road at the pancake house. The Festival continues each Saturday and Sunday in March from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and during March Break (March 13-17).