BY TOM LAVIS
TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM
There’s nothing sweeter to the visitors of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival than savoring that small-town flavor.
Visitors will get their chance during the 62nd edition of the annual celebration, which begins Saturday.
The festival continues on Sunday and resumes March 27-29 at various locations throughout Meyersdale.
Much of the activity is located at Maple Festival Park, where there will be maple-sugar demonstrations, arts and crafts, entertainment, food vendors and a children’s corner.
This complex is the heart of the festival and is located on scenic Meyers Avenue.
It features the Historic Meyers Homestead, an Antique Doctor’s Office, Cobbler’s Shop, Country Store and its own sugar camp.
The event has put the community on the map and has earned it the name “Maple City.”
A tradition that brings people back each year is the Lions Club pancake house in the community center.
W. Dean O’Neil of Meyersdale, Lions Club president and pancake committee chairman, said people have been loyal in their support of the meal.
“This is my 25th year and people always seem to make it a point to show up each year,” O’Neil said.
“Even the year we had white-out conditions, we seated about 1,000 people, some of whom drove in from Greensburg and Pittsburgh.”
The meal is $7 and the mouthwatering pancakes are topped off with genuine Somerset County maple syrup, which is the hallmark of the festival.
O’Neil said the made-from-scratch pancakes are so popular that the syrup used during the festival is measured in drums, not gallons.
“Each barrel contains 33 gallons of syrup and we go through three or four of them each year,” he said.
“That goes with the 900 pounds of flour we use and 3,600 pounds of sausage we serve.”
The community center accommodates about 200 people and business is brisk throughout the day.
Once people enjoy pancakes and sausage, visitors are within easy walking distance of Festival Park and its attractions.
“The proceeds go right back into the community with the Lions Club supporting the library, the community center, Maple Festival Park and area youth sports teams,” O’Neil said.
While at Festival Park, visitors can browse the craft vendors and enjoy live entertainment on the outside stage. The park is a place where visitors will discover the way country life was at the turn of the 19th century.
Plenty of food and fun are also located throughout the park.
Guests are able to learn how to tap a tree, boil sap into syrup, observe a sugar off, make sugar cakes and twirl spotza.
Spotza is made by boiling maple syrup down to the soft ball stage and pouring it over crushed ice, which forms a soft, clear taffy that is most tasty when eaten immediately.
Susie Decker of Meyersdale, treasurer of the festival committee, said the most popular attractions are Festival Park, the Grand Featured Parade and the Lions’ pancake meals and the quilt show.
“Each year festival visitors flock to the quilt show on display at Meyersdale fire hall, next to the pancake house,” she said.
The show is open to the public throughout the festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission to Festival Park is $4 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12 and free for children ages 5 and younger.
A fee also is required to be admitted to the historical pageant titled “Legend of the Magic Water.”
The production tells the story of the discovery of maple syrup and the history of Meyersdale through song, dance and narration.
Parking is available throughout Meyersdale.
The parade will get under way at 3 p.m. March 28.
It will feature marching bands, floats, twirling groups, rescue trucks and lots of horses.
Live entertainment features bluegrass, gospel and folk throughout the festival on the outdoor stage in the park.
Decker said another popular activity is the arts and crafts exhibit, which is under one roof in the park.
“Craftsmen will offer items such as cornhusk dolls, jewelry and woodcrafts,” Decker said.
Other items include woodworking, crocheting, ceramics, quilling, tole painting, dried flowers and candy making.
The auto shows are another crowd favorite.
The Street Rod program will be held on Sunday, followed by an antique and classic car show March 29.
A classic car cruise will be held March 27 and anyone owning a vintage auto is invited to cruise the borough’s streets.
On tap
What: 62nd annual Pennsylvania Maple Festival.
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and March 27-29.
Where: Meyersdale.
Information: 634-0213.
