818-L«ncast*r Farming, Saturday, March 19, 1994
Land Of Milk And Maple
Celebrates With M e S r Festival
GAY BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
MEYERSDALE (Somerset
Co.) What’s better for break
fast on a northeastern winter
morning than flapjacks, country
sausage, pure maple syrup and
steaming coffee? Well, nothing,
really, if one’s just coming in from
the bam after milking the cows at
3 or 4 a.m. in anticipation of a lei
surely, hot and hearty breakfast
That’s why the folks in Somer
set Conty “The Land of Milk
and Maple” celebrate the ma
ple sugar industry witih a grand
festival each spring. A young
woman of charm and intelligence,
is named maple queen at scholar
ship pageant and she presides over
the five-day festivities.
The 47th annual Pa. Maple Fes
tival will be held on April 9, 10,
15,16 and 17. Chocked full of fun
and food the festival concentrates
on the production of maple pro
ducts, with a bunch of other good
stuff thrown in.
For instance the historical pag
eant called “The Legend of the
Magic Water,” which finds a cast
of 120 local persons telling about
the discovery of maple syrup and
history of Meyersdale. It is done
through song, dance, and narra
tion.
An educational form of enter
tainment, Legend has in it the In
dian maple celebration, life of the
pioneer and the day the first train
came to town. Specifically, visi
tors see and hear an Indian attack,
a hoedown, simple hymns to clas
sic operas, can-can girls, and a pa
triotic grand finale.
The stage in Festival Park re
verberates with music and danc
ing. There are pony and horse
pulling contests at the nearby fair
grounds, street, rod and classic
auto shows, the 8K race and
2-mile walk, antique car show,
queen’s ball, oldies dance, big
quilt show and grand feature par
ade.
Also featured, inside the park is
Maple Manor, a beautifully restor
ed, historical landmark house
whose framework and furnishings
are guaranteed to sweep both kids
and adults into a former era. See.
too, an antique doctor’s office,
cobbler’s shop, country store, and
maple camp in the park.
Maple demonstrations are per
formed in the park, but for those
who prefer to witness the real
thing, the Somerset Co. maple
producers welcome visitors to
their nearby maple camps for a
great sampling of today’s larger
industry operations.
Thousands of visitors acquaint
themselves with Somerset Co.
maple camps each spring, not just
during the maple festival, but dur
ing the actual maple season that
peaks in the month of March.
Producers often attach sales
shops to their modem camp sites
and offer beautifully prepared ma
ple goodies and gift packs which
they will mail, if desired.
Among the popular sugar
camps are Wagner’s Sugar Camp,
West Salisbury, Brenneman’s Ma
ple, RD!. Salisbury; Moser Bro
thers, Meyersdale; Milroy Farms,
Salisbury; Hemminger Sugar
Camp, Somerset; Walker’s Farm
Service, Somerset; Floyd Reese,
Somerset; Frank S. Bocsy, Stoys
town; and Sechler Sugar Shack,
Confluence.
Most producer’s that are listed
in the producer’s brochure wel
come visitors anytime, but ask that
reservations be made before
bringing a tour group. Some are
closed on Sundays. And many
other smaller operations exist
whose camps, including those of
the Amish, are found off the beat
en paths in southern Somerset Co.
Tapping maple trees, collecting
the sap and boiling it down into
pure maple syrup is hard, but
worthwhile wok. While today’s
maple producers have devised bet
ter methods than the first Indian
producers of maple syrup re
portedly in the mid-1600s, —their
work can go around the clock
when the runs are good. That is,
the sap is draining out of the trees
into metal keelers or plastic tub
ing, literally by the thousands of
gallons. The natural wonder is
caused by overnight freezing tem
peratures and next-day warming
trends.
Depending on its sugar content
the sap needed to achieve a gallon
of pure maple-syrup is approxi
mately SO gallons. That amount
can vary 5 to 10 gallons either
way, so a person needs some edu
cation and experience to get it
right.
Selecting a queen for the sweet
festival is a major annual affair de
manding effort by the hopefuls.
The winner receives a $1,300
scholarship from the Pa. Maple
Festival and One for $5OO from
the Somerset Co. Maple Produc
ers Asso. Her first and second
maids of honor also receive scho
larships. And of course, all the
girls receive gifts galore.
Somerset County high school
senior girls are eligible to audition
for participation. The field is then
narrowed to some 14 or IS young
women prior to the pageant. They
are critically judged in evening
gown, talent, and on-stage inter
view competitions.
The 1994 maple queen, selected
on March S, is Kathleen Thomas,
18, a Meyersdale Area High
School senior bound for college
next fall at the University of Pitts
burgh at Johnstown. Her function
is one of a gracious hostess circu
lating at festival activities, wel
coming and helping visitors and
telling everyone about the Somer
set Co. maple industry.
Dott Merryman, Confluence,
the 1993 maple queen, performed
the coronation of Kathleen. Dolt
was chosen during high school to
sing the national anthem over the
public address system at a Pitts
burgh Pirate home ballgame.
Dott’s winning talent number held
a captive audience when she sang
a cappella, “Via Dolorosa.”
Queen Kathleen, a festival
volunteer since childhood, was
heard to comment that her favorite
part of the festival is the food.
That’s true for hundreds of regular
attenders.
Spotza probably takes the
foods* popularity prize. The In
dians, while not calling it spotza,
apparently were the first to make
it, when they poured boiling ma
ple syrup over the snow, then ate
the result.
Today, when the boiling syrup
is the right temperature it’s poured
over cracked ice or into iced wa
ter, then eaten immediately. Wag
ner Camp’s Dorothy Jeffrey says
“Drop just enough syrup ot put in
your mouth when it forms a soft
ball.”
She says many folks call spotza
“taffy.” to her, they are different
An important factor for taffy mak
ing, she said, is the altitude where
Maple Queen Dott Merryman Is crowning her successor, Kathleen Thomas who will
reign over the 47th annual Pa. Maple Festival In Meyersdale on April 9,10,16,16,17.
you live, which determines the de
gree of density.
“Have your pans greased and
ready,” she says, “they can be
aluminum pie pans. Put them on a
cold floor or in cold water. Once
you start pouring, never stop,” she
says. “Never pull back, just keep
pouring, and don’t try tilting the
pans because it turns sugary if you
move it”
A large heavy aluminum kettle
is good to use, she says. When the
temperature on the candy thermo
meter reaches the proper tempera
ture for the altitude (Usually no
higher than 254 degrees) that’s
when you start pouring, according
to this ace of maple goodies.
During cooking Dorothy says,
“Don’t leave the pan. Add a little
fat to the bubbling syrup to break
up the air bubbles as it boils. The
fat can be cream or butter,” she
said, adding, “Most importantly,
do this drop by drop.”
A maple king is also selected
from the maple producers entering
maple products forjudging. Three
classes of syrup, three classes of
sugar cakes, sugar crumb, gift
packs and several other classes.
Ed Emerick of RDI, Hyndman, is
the current maple king until an
ohter is chosen in April.
The grand feature parade os
some 175 units, featuring Queen
Maple, her maids of honor and
court of princesses will be held on
April 16 at 5 p.m. The Street, Rod
and Classic Auto Show is on Sun
day, Aipil 10, while the Antique
Car Show is on Sunday, April 17.
BK-S mile run and 2-mile walk is
Sunday, April 10.
Legend of the Magic Water is
scheduled for the afternoons of
April 9. 15, and 16 at the local
high school.
Lions Clubs in both Salisbury
and Meyersdale serve pancake
meals with country sausage and
pure maple syrup the Saturday and
Sunday of both festival weekends.
They begin with breakfast and
serve all day. In Salisburgy, buck
wheat cakes are also offered.
A good place to sample the lo
cal artistic talents when visisting
the area, is the gallery of the Tub
Mill Arts Association, located at
117 W. Old St, Salisbury. The
arts and crafts show it holds dur
ing the festival is impressive.
Meyersdale, where the festival
is held, and Salisbury where the
major sugar camps are located, are
both on Route 219, a majro north
south highway, but still a two-lane
road.
From Exit 22, Interstate 68 in
Maryland, Salisbury is four miles
and Meyersdale, about 11 miles
north. From the Pa. Turnpike at
Somerset Meyersdale lies some
There’s a bit of romance to the old Indian art of making
maple syrup each March when sap is collected from maple
trees. These beauties fanning upward along the Tub Mill
Run creek in West Salisbury, Somerset Co., are dripping
sap into their metal keelers. Often plastic tubing is used so
sap from many trees runs into a larger collecting tank.
20 miles and Salisbury, abour 27 ped nuts. Pour ova partially bak
miles south using Route 219. ed crust and continue baking 30 to
For detailed festival informa
tion call (814) 634-0213.
For information regarding sug
ar campsites call the Milroy Farms
at (814) 662-4125 or Wagner’s
Camp. (814) 662-2904.
And, now for some recipes.
NUTTY MAPLE
SURPRISE BARS
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup margarine
1 egg
a cup chopped nuts
Vi cup packed brown sugar
114 cups maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
Reserve 1 /] cup of cake mix fa
filling. Grease bottoms and sides
of 13 x 9 baking pan. Preheat oven
to 350 degrees. In large bowl,
combine cake mix, margarine and
one egg, mix. Press into pan. Bake
15-20 minutes until light goleden
bronw.
Filling; Mix together remaining
cake mix, brown sugar, maple syr
up, vanilla, three eggs and chop-
MILK.
IT DOES A
BODY good:
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION, INC.
35 minutes.
MAPLE SUGAR FUDGE
2 cuups white sugar
% cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup maple sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup walnut or butternut meats
Cook sugars and milk in sauce
pan for 12 minutes after it begins
to boil. Remove and add butter
and vanilla. Cool slightly, then
beat until thick and creamy. Add
chopped nuts and pour into 8-inch
buttered cake tin. Cook and cut in
squares.
MAPLE POPCORN BALLS
1 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vinegar
6 cups popped com
'A cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Put all ingredients except pop
corn in a saucepan. Bring to a boil
and boil for IS minutes or until it
spins a thread in a glass of cold
water. Pour onto popcorn. Form
balls.
IUMW