The sweetest festival in all of Geauga County is almost here.
The sweetest festival in all of Geauga County is almost here.
Excitement abounds as carnival rides and tents set up on Chardon Square for the annual four-day Geauga County Maple Festival, April 25-28.
Kicking festivities off the weekend prior, an exclusive community gathered inside the Lennah Bond Activity Center at Century Village Museum in Burton for the 2024 Maple Syrup Hall of Fame Breakfast April 20.
Jen Freeman, of the Richard’s Maple Products, and last year’s hall of fame inductee, offered the post breakfast invocation, giving thanks to the maple tree and all it provides.
Master of Ceremonies Bob Rogish welcomed everyone to the annual event, honoring 2024 hall of fame inductee Paul Newman and revealing this year’s best-of-best maple syrup producer awards with a larger than normal attendance.
“I want to recognize all the hard work that every one of our producers does here in Geauga County,” maple festival board President Angie May said. “I admire all of your dedication.”
Over the years, the maple syrup contest has evolved to include a host of sweet confections, including sugar cakes, maple spread and maple novelty.
Years ago, producers would enter their best quart of maple syrup.
This year’s contest had categories for Delicate, Amber and Dark grades of maple syrup.
The syrup samples are judged according to class by International Maple Syrup Institute standards.
After breakfast — which was catered by The Back 40, of Middlefield, and included pancakes, as well as a sampling of the top seven syrups in the Golden and Amber categories — Newman’s portrait was unveiled.
“We are excited to honor our new hall of fame inductee,” Rogish said, as cheers and applause filled the banquet hall for Newman.
His portrait will join the elite club of hall of famers in the basement of the Patterson Center of the Geauga County Fairgrounds.
Hambden Township’s Sara Brougher, a past festival board president and current Pancakes in the Park organizer, said she was “so, so happy” for Newman.
“I am very proud of Paul,” she said.
Longtime friend of Newman’s, Mike Tvergyak, who was the 2022 hall of fame inductee, was also thrilled.
“It’s so deserving,” Tvergyak said. “He’s a one-of-a-kind person. Paul is unique and so well respected. He’s a kid at heart, like myself.”
There were 131 entries to the contest this year, which marked another of many recent abnormally warm maple seasons for the area.
“Anyone tapping after January more than likely did not get a full crop,” said James Miller. “As happens quite frequently in the last decade, we do get a warm spell in March that brings the season to an abrupt end. There was a lot of dark syrup made throughout Northeast Ohio. (It was) challenging to make gold delicate. However, like always, Northeast Ohio maple has outstanding flavor.”
The Burton Chamber of Commerce, whose log cabin and sugar camp is less than a football field away from the event, earned Grand Champion of the Producer Class.
Scott Adams accepted the award.
His father, Paul Adams, was inducted into the Maple Syrup Hall of Fame in 1997, along with Leslie and Albert Haskins, and Bob and Jan Haskins.
“Dad, we did it,” Adams said, moments after the announcement. “(Dad) chased this for years. It’s really a great team effort that we did.”
Madison High School students were all smiles as they earned first place in this year’s Grand Hobby Class for their Golden syrup.
“The breakfast was incredible,” said Kevin Holy, Geauga Maple Committee chairman. “Record attendance for the new venue at the great Century Village.”
The annual award-winning Maple Syrup Auction kicks off at 12 p.m. April 28 at the Entertainment Stage during the maple festival in Chardon.
“This is the chance for someone to bid on and purchase some of the best syrup Geauga County has to offer,” Rogish said. “Each season, syrup producers save their best jug of syrup to enter into the maple festival contest and the top seven entries in each color grade are auctioned off. So, you are truly able to purchase the best-of-the-best in the county. All proceeds go back to the maple festival to offset the costs associated with putting on the four-day event.”
