CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- The Geauga Park District invites you to its annual Sap’s-a-Risin’ maple sugaring festivities from noon to 4 p.m. on three Sundays -- Feb. 23 through March 9 -- at its Swine Creek Reservation in Middlefield.
Enjoy a family-friendly, hands-on experience, including sap gathering in the sugarbush in a horse-drawn sap sled, sugar house tours with sample tastes of fresh syrup and historical stations with costumed interpreters displaying and demonstrating maple sugaring methods from prehistoric times to the modern day.
Warm up in the Swine Creek Lodge with free maple treats and live music by the Raccoon Country Ramblers on Feb. 23, the Mr. Haney String Band on March 2 and the Real Deal String Band on March 9.
Maple syrup produced onsite will be available for sale as supplies last.
The Swine Creek Reservation is a featured stop on two drive-it-yourself tours March 2 and 9 through the Ohio Maple Producers’ Maple Madness Tour and the Maple Tour of Northeast Ohio.
Tour maps with a complete list of stops are available at ohiomaple.org and mpneoh.com.
Is maple a secret password? The Geauga Park District location-based app game is now in the sugarbush for the maple season.
Participants -- AKA agents of discovery -- can use the app to embark on a fun, interactive learning experience to discover new and exciting facts about maple sugaring at Swine Creek Reservation.
You can play by yourself or with family and friends as a team.
The app will tell you which trails in the park to explore. As you approach each challenge, your device will alert you when it’s time to play.
Challenges for this mission include From Sap to Syrup, Sap Collection, Sweet Like Sugar and Tapping Tools.
After completing them, you can go to The West Woods Nature Center in Russell Township to collect your reward.
Show your screen capture of your completed mission to choose a reward from a grab bag of fun items, including a Frisbee, whistle, flashlight, keychain, zipper pull, plastic cup button and lapel pin.
To play, bring your smart phone or device to the park, open the free Agents of Discovery app and search for the Maple Madness mission, available Feb. 21 through March 31.
Downloading the app in advance of visiting the park may provide a smoother download.
New missions and rewards appear twice a season, or about every six weeks, at geaugaparkdistrict.org.
Adults with a disability: Adults with a developmental disability can learn how to become a wildlife detective in a special program at Big Creek Park’s Meyer Center from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 25.
A park naturalist will lead the group with amazing animal clues that they will decipher to discover what the animal it is.
Registration is required for participants and caregivers at geaugaparkdistrct.org or by calling 440-286-9516.
Jewish American History: Temple Emanu El’s Brotherhood is hosting three Zoom classes from 7:30 to 9 p.m. March 12, 19 and 26 on the subject of Jewish American history.
Taught by Joellyn Zollman, the classes are free and open to the public.
The series explores how the arrival of 2 million immigrants from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1924 changed American Jewish life and how they shaped their new communities.
The amount to participate is an optional $18 to defray costs for non-members of the Brotherhood organization.
Payment is due by March 11, sent by Venmo to @Len-Gold1156.
To register contact crete2us@gmail.com.
Free gardening class: Thinking of spring? You can attend a free gardening class from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday (Feb. 22), conducted by Geauga County Master Gardeners.
The class, taught by Charlie Stevens, covers site selection and soil testing, preparation and common pitfalls to avoid when starting a garden.
Registration is required. Call 440-834-4656.
Classes are held at the Geauga County Extension Office in the Patterson Center at the northwest end of the Burton Fairgrounds.
More information is on the website, geauga.osu.edu.
Camp Canopy: The Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District is offering scholarship funding for Geauga County high school students to attend a weeklong camp to explore the many branches of forestry and wildlife June 8-13 at FFA Camp Muskingum.
Included are tree identification, wildlife species management, forest products, insects, amphibians, dendrology and fungi.
Meals and lodging are included, along with recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, boating, paddleboarding, kayaking and challenge courses.
Applications are due May 2. Contact geaugaswcd.com or 440-834-1122.
To post your news and events contact Rusek at jcooperrusek@gmail.com.
Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
