UPDATE: event has been cancelled:
Statement: “As an organization, we continue to ensure the safety and health of our employees, volunteers as well as area residents, therefore we felt it was important to take the extraordinary step of cancelling all Maple Madness programs and activities,” said Katrina Furlanetto, Cataraqui Conservation General Manager.
All conservation area properties remain open, including the Cataraqui Trail, and we continue to encourage people to get outside on our trails, get some exercise and perhaps find some peace and relaxation while spending time communing with nature.
As a reminder, our conservation areas include Little Cataraqui Creek, Marshlands and Lemoine Point in Kingston, Gould Lake in South Frontenac Township, Parrott’s Bay in Loyalist Township, and both Lyn Valley and Mac Johnson Wildlife Area in the Brockville Area. For more information, visit https://crca.ca/conservation-lands.”
Maple Madness CANCELLED
Maple madness has been cancelled due to COVID-19. Please visit our event page for details.https://t.co/vAJRvzFaTO pic.twitter.com/pocETioYAc
— Cataraqui Conservation (@CataraquiCons) March 15, 2020
Maple Madness 2020, one of the region’s most popular annual events, will kick off on Saturday, March 7 at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area.
Along with the initial March 7 and 8 weekend, the festivities will run through the March Break – 14th to 22nd – and conclude the weekend of March 28 and 29.
Visitors can enjoy a tractor-drawn wagon into the sugar bush to watch how early settlers made maple syrup and how it’s done today. There will also be special activities like puppet shows, tree tapping demonstrations each weekday of March Break and every Sunday of the program, First Nations Display each Saturday – showing how the original inhabitants of the Cataraqui region used to process maple syrup, led by First Nations teacher Paul Carl – Face Painting, Sugar Bush Tours, the Annual Conservation Foundation Bake Sale and more.
Tree Tapping demonstrations also take place each weekday of March Break, as well as on each Sunday of the program.
The sugar bush is open from 9am to 4pm each day of the program. The last wagon ride back to the bush leaves at 3pm and the last wagon coming back from the sugar bush is at 4pm. Trails are open until dusk for those interested in having a 2 km walk from the sugar bush to the parking area.
According to the CRCA: The sugar bush will shut down during adverse weather conditions. This includes significant freezing rain and extremely cold temperatures. Please check the event page for cancellation notices or call 613-546-4228 ext. 222.
“Before heading back to the sugar bush, everyone is encouraged to sit in on one of the free, fun and informative puppet shows that happen in the Outdoor Centre,” states a media release. “They take place each Saturday throughout Maple Madness and three days of the March Break week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).”
There will also be face painting during March Break in the Outdoor Centre on Sundays, Tuesday and Thursday by the Not So Amateurs, who will be offering quality, professional face painting by donations which support a local non-profit theatre company.
On Saturday, March 21, the Cataraqui Conservation Foundation hosts its annual bake sale in the Outdoor Centre with all funds raised going to support Cataraqui Conservation’s conservation education programs.
Admission is $15.00 per vehicle – so be sure to fill your car or carpool – which includes entry fee, parking, wagon ride and activities. Cash, tap enabled debit cards or credit accepted at the gate. The purchase food and maple products are not included in the admission price.
The Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area is located on Division Street just two km north of Highway 401.
