The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre and Sainte-Marie among the Hurons are celebrating the arrival of spring with maple syrup, storytelling, and all things Canadian at the Sweetwater Harvest Festival this weekend.
“It’s the ultimate Canadian experience with a combination of local history and maple syrup,” says Mikaela Lefaive, co-ordinator of marketing and media relations with Sainte-Marie among the Hurons.
Since 1991, the Sweetwater Harvest Festival has hailed spring’s arrival annually. This is the third year the two venues partnered for it, and Lefaive says it’s a great dynamic. They combine resources for other educational programs, and this is one more way to make the most of it, she says. Similar to last year, roughly 2,000 visitors are expected to take part this year.
With gusts of wind, rain, and flurries Saturday, many people walking the grounds did not feel spring in the air, though most laughed it off as they looked to follow their maps and find the next activity location.
“A couple of years ago, it was a blizzard,” says Rick Brady, who was directing traffic along with Ron Cares.
The two kept spirits high as they spent their hours outside.
Alternatively, cooler March weather is good news for the flow of maple syrup. According to one program facilitator, if the weather warms up all at once, the maple syrup harvest is a short season.
Inside one of the galleries, kids and adults listened to Troy Monague sing and share stories. His tales included Anishinaabe teachings about the origins of sweetwater.
Vendors from surrounding areas displayed handmade and locally produced goods. Also, Sainte-Maire’s restaurant is now serving up Windlee Farms maple syrup with pancake breakfast available until 3 p.m.
“I think people enjoy it,” Chris Grant says, describing filling hundreds of ramekins of maple syrup the night before.
His wife bought the restaurant a year ago, and he suspects that with the sweetwater event and the recent swap to Windlee Farms’ local maple syrup, it’s likely to stick around.
Both the pancakes and the shuttle bus between facilities have made a return to the festival this year after having been paused since the COVID-19 pandemic, says Lefaive.
Both Wye Marsh and Saint-Marie are incorporating scavenger hunts and more crafts this year than previously. Visitors can also meet Ruby, the red-eared slider turtle, in the kids zone, or, wandering around the grounds, meet with Jenny Haggerman to introduce Willow, the broad-winged hawk, and learn about other birds of prey.
Back in the museum, Nathaniel Brunelle and Emily Bader demonstrated how to make corn husk dolls and clay okies.
Okies are luck charms, often gifted for protection to those embarking on long trips or to loved ones who have fallen ill, explains Brunelle. He sat with a pile of clay for visitors to take part, explaining the clay was usually red from lakes and streams. As part of Wendat tradition, okies were crafted with faces and thus cherished as a person with a soul, he says.
Lynne Kirsch, who has volunteered with the Wye Marsh for a decade, says every year is different and she loves hearing about visitors’ experiences.
Braving the wind out near the swan landing, Ellen Dennig says it was a busy morning, though many people don’t last too long because of the cold.
The festival is back Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information can be found here.