Update: "Maple Sugaring" Demonstration At Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Rescheduled

You can attend an old-fashioned "maple sugaring" demonstration at Delaware Water Gap NRA this weekend. NPS photo.

A forecast calling for heavy rain has prompted Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area officials to reschedule their "Maple Sugaring Day" for a week.

Instead of staging the demonstration this Saturday at Millbrook Village, the event is being pushed back until Saturday, March 20.

“Freezing nights and warm days signal the arrival of maple sugaring season in the Northeast. Plan a trip to Millbrook Village and join our staff and volunteers in this traditional, late winter activity,” said Water Gap Superintendent John Donahue.

During the demonstration park staff and volunteers will teach visitors how to tap maple trees, collect the sap, and boil it down to make syrup and sugar. They also will have recipes for maple-based foods will be available. In addition, some village buildings will be open for tours and craft demonstrations.

This event is held outdoors; warm clothing, and appropriate foot-gear are highly recommended.

Millbrook Village is on Old Mine Road in New Jersey, 12 miles north of Interstate 80 (Exit 1). Access is also possible by taking NJ Route 602 (the Millbrook-Blairstown Road) seven miles west from its intersection with Route 94 in Blairstown. Note: Old Mine Road might remain closed after major snowfalls; the route through Blairstown is preferable.

For additional information, call the park headquarters on weekdays (570-426-2452) or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/dewa.

And, as one reader pointed out, the folks at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Indiana are wrapping up their maple sugar program this weekend. That program is being offered Saturday and Sunday at the historic Chellberg Farm between U.S. 20 and Highway 12 in Porter, Indiana, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1882.