Sugarhouses across western Maine will open their doors March 21-22 for the 43rd annual Maine Maple Sunday Weekend, inviting visitors to experience one of the state’s most popular spring traditions.

Organized by the Maine Maple Producers Association, Maine Maple Sunday is always the fourth Sunday in March, although many producers open for both Saturday and Sunday with tours, demonstrations and special events.

During the weekend, sugarhouses across the state welcome visitors for a behind-the-scenes look at how maple sap is collected and boiled into pure maple syrup. Most locations offer free maple syrup samples, boiling demonstrations and tours of the sugarbush where sap is gathered.

Many farms also host family-friendly activities, including live music, games, maple treats and other seasonal attractions. Some locations serve food or special breakfasts.

Several sugarhouses in and near Franklin County are participating this year, including Black Acres Farm in Wilton, Long Drive Acres Maple Farm in Wilton, JB Farm in Chesterville, Schanz Family Maple and Shady Lane Sugar Shack in New Vineyard, Martin Woods Farm in Starks, True Mountain Maple in Industry, Road’s End Farm in Canton, Swain Family Farm in Bethel and Hall Farms Maple Products in East Dixfield. Visitors are encouraged to check each farm’s listing for hours and activities.

Hall Farms Maple Products, 8 Science Hill Road in East Dixfield, will host special activities during the weekend, including an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast Saturday, March 21, from 8 a.m. to noon. The breakfast will feature plain or blueberry pancakes served with a side of sausage and beans for $13 for adults and $7 for children. The farm will also offer two homemade donuts with coffee or another beverage for $5, and maple products will be available for purchase, including maple ice cream.

Black Acres Farm, 123 Black Road in Wilton, will be open Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can see the farm’s wood-fired evaporator, take sugarbush and farm tours, and participate in activities, including farm bingo, a hay fort and visits with baby farm animals. The farm will also showcase its new farm store and meat-cutting facility.

Food and products available will include maple products, maple cotton candy, maple buns, maple claws and Susie’s baked beans. The farm also sells farm fresh eggs, grass-fed beef, honey and pastured pork.

Breakfast items will be served until sold out and include maple claws, maple cinnamon buns, sausage waffle sticks, maple whoopie pies and coffee or milk. A pancake breakfast will be served Sunday from 8-11 a.m. Options include a $15 plate with three pancakes, two maple sausage links, scrambled eggs and coffee or milk; a $12 plate with two pancakes, two maple sausage links and coffee or milk; and an $8 kids breakfast with one jumbo pancake, one maple sausage link and coffee or milk. Unlimited wood-fired syrup is included with all breakfast options.

Black Acres Farm also announced that spring has arrived at the farm with the birth of its first calf of the season just in time for Maine Maple Weekend.

Long Drive Acres Maple Farm, 319 Temple Road in Wilton, will also be open March 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Maine Maple Sunday. Visitors will be able to take tours of the sap house beginning at the two 1,200-gallon tanks used to hold sap collected from the sugarbush. Those interested in hiking can also take a tour through the sugarbush itself, which is about a one-mile walk.

During the visit, guests can watch sap being boiled into maple syrup and sample maple cream. The farm store will also be open, offering maple syrup, maple cream, maple sugar and maple-flavored cotton candy. If conditions allow, the farm is also planning snowshoe hikes through the sugarbush.

For added convenience, products will also be available for curbside pickup at the end of the farm’s “Long Driveway.”

JB Farm in Chesterville, 140 Stinchfield Hill Road, will also host its annual Maine Maple Sunday Weekend open house Saturday, March 21, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Horse-drawn wagon rides will be offered both days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday activities will include maple demonstrations, maple syrup samples and an open barn for visitors. The farm will also serve its pulled pork lunch, a longtime favorite for many returning guests.

Schanz Family Maple and Shady Lane Sugar Shack, 773 Barker Road in New Vineyard, will welcome visitors to its two sugarhouses March 21-22. Guests can learn how pure Maine maple syrup is produced. Many sugarhouses offer maple syrup samples and demonstrations of the boiling process, along with games, activities, treats, sugarbush tours, music and other family-friendly experiences. Visitors are encouraged to check each location for specific hours and activities.

Martin Woods Farm, 24 Abijah Hill Road in Starks, will host visitors Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to noon. Guests can visit the farm and enjoy hot pancakes served with the farm’s own wood-fired maple syrup in the Center for Human Ecology building. The event is open to the public as part of the statewide maple celebration.

True Mountain Maple, 227 Federal Row in Industry, will host visitors Sunday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The operation taps about 3,500 maple trees each season. The farm will offer tours of the sugarhouse, maple syrup tastings and a variety of foods both sweet and savory.

True Mountain Maple is celebrating its 10th year in production and has participated in Maine Maple Sunday for most of that time, canceling only in 2020 due to COVID-19. Owners Kim Roberts and Mark Prentiss said their operation continues to follow the tradition of opening on Sunday only, reflecting the event’s original format when Maine Maple Sunday began nearly 50 years ago as a single-day celebration.

Roberts said the farm intentionally keeps the event simple, focusing on welcoming visitors and sharing the maple sugaring process rather than hosting large entertainment attractions.

“It’s an opportunity for us to say thank you to our local community which has helped to build and sustain our business,” Roberts said.

Guests will be able to sample homemade foods made with the farm’s maple syrup, which may include baked beans, cornbread, maple syrup samples, chocolate brownie cupcakes and other seasonal dishes depending on time and conditions. Roberts said the focus is on welcoming visitors into the sugarhouse to see how maple syrup is made and spend time together after the long Maine winter.

After Maine Maple Sunday concludes, Roberts and Prentiss return to production work, which includes collecting sap, boiling syrup, cleaning the sugarhouse and eventually pulling taps as the season winds down before shifting attention to seedlings and spring gardening.

Swain Family Farm, 185 West Bethel Road in Bethel, a third-generation maple operation with about 1,000 taps mostly on pipeline, will also participate in Maine Maple Sunday Weekend. Visitors are invited to enjoy ice cream topped with maple syrup and sample the farm’s maple candy while learning more about its maple production.

Visitors may also learn about the different grades of pure maple syrup produced during the season. Syrup color and flavor change as the season progresses. Early-season syrup is typically golden in color with a light, delicate flavor. Mid-season syrup is amber with a balanced maple taste commonly used as table syrup. Later in the season, darker syrup develops a stronger, more caramelized maple flavor, while very dark syrup produced at the end of the season has the most intense flavor and is often used in cooking and baking.

Under Maine law, maple syrup is defined as a product made by concentrating maple sap to a sugar content of about 66% to 69% and is classified into grades such as Golden, Amber, Dark and Very Dark based on color and flavor.

Maine Maple Sunday Weekend draws thousands of visitors each year and provides an opportunity for families to explore Maine farms while learning about the craftsmanship behind one of the state’s best-known agricultural products.

Some sugarhouses will only be open Sunday, so visitors are encouraged to check the Maine Maple Producers Association website or the individual sugarhouses’ social media pages for the most accurate hours.

A full list of participating sugarhouses, along with hours and activities, can be found at www.mainemapleproducers.com