This upcoming Saturday and Sunday, Cunningham Falls State Park will be holding its annual Maple Syrup Festival. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and has several syrup-related activities for just $5 per person. If you’re a person who enjoys pancakes and classic maple syrup, you will thoroughly enjoy it.
The Maple Syrup festival begins with a pancake breakfast every morning. Breakfast starts early, at 9:30 a.m. so you can grab some pancakes and sample different kinds of maple syrup before starting the real activities of the day.
If you follow the order given at the festival, the path will take you from the breakfast to a pancake race. At the pancake race, you’re given a frying pan with a burnt pancake in it. There are six flags set up ahead of you, and you must flip your pancake at each flag. First to get to the last cone and flip their pancake wins. The winner of the group gets bragging rights, and student Henry Hoffman described it as a “10/10 experience.”
The next event you arrive at is the Sugaring Shack, which does a display every hour starting at 10 a.m. They show you how syrup is taken from sap and turned into maple syrup. It was a very educational display; however, I was disappointed to find out that you do not in fact get more maple syrup to try afterwards.
Next, you get a choice between two activities: the falls hiking trail, or the Hayride. We personally chose to do the half-mile hiking trail, and it made the drive out to the festival worth it. The waterfall was gorgeous; standing at 78 feet tall, it’s the tallest cascading waterfall in Maryland. There were even ramps and bridges, making it wheelchair accessible for those who need it.
Last, but certainly not least, we went on the hayride. The hayride was about six or seven minutes, and it took you in a circle around the lake. The scenery there was about as pretty as the waterfall. It gave a good view of both the mountain and the lake with forest around it. I’d only get on it if there isn’t a long wait though.
All in all, the Maple Syrup Festival was a great experience. The scenery, good food, and fun activities made the drive to Frederick, Maryland worth it. All proceeds go directly to Cunningham State Park to keep it running. So, if you happen to be free this weekend and would like to go to the Maple Syrup Festival, I’d recommend that you go. It’s a fun event with a great cause behind it.
