Maple Syrup at Westfield- Coming March 2

 

With spring in the air, many families are searching for something fun to do together outside.  Look no further than the Sweet Taste of Spring maple syrup festival at Westfield Heritage Village.  The village’s gorgeous rural setting is a fun place to learn all about how maple syrup is made.  Free horse and wagon rides, a trip to the sugar bush and a chance to taste one of Canada’s sweetest traditions make for a great day out.

In the village’s Early Settlement area, visitors can learn how maple sugar was first produced by Canada’s First Nations communities, and how these techniques were shared with early European immigrants.  At the D’Aubigny Inn, find out how early 19^th century pioneers used three iron cauldrons to produce large quantities of delicious syrup.  A picturesque walk into the sugar bush leads to the modern sugar shack, where you can sample some of Westfield’s very own maple syrup.  This year, Westfield is very pleased to have a brand new maple syrup evaporator, recently funded by the Friends of Westfield.  The tours and demonstrations run from 10 am. to 4 pm. on Sundays March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 and during March Break on two days only - Wednesday March 12 and Thursday March 13.

Modestly priced, delicious pancakes and syrup, with ham or sausage, will be served by the St. George Lion’s Club throughout the day at the Ironwood Hall.  This year, the club will celebrate ten years of flipping pancakes at Westfield!  For more sweet treats, visit the General Store for old-fashioned candy, hot apple cider and baked goods.  The Gift Shop will be selling a variety of maple syrup products and other one-of-a-kind items.  Free horse-drawn wagon rides throughout the day will take you on a lively tour around the village. 

Westfield is a unique place for families, with something interesting to see and do around every corner.  The village’s more than thirty-five heritage buildings are staffed by authentically costumed interpreters, who will take you back to earlier times and places.  Children will enjoy taking their seat in the one-room, log school house, meeting the blacksmith, or visiting the Jerseyville Train Station.

Admission to the Sweet Taste of Spring Maple Syrup Festival is $11.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors and people with disabilities and $6.50 for children ages 6-12.  Little ones 5 and under are free.  For more information regarding the Sweet Taste of Spring and future Westfield events, call 519-621-8851 or visit Westfield online at www.westfieldheritage.ca .

Westfield Heritage Village is located in Rockton, Ontario on Kirkwall Road (Regional Road 552), just off Hwy 8, between Hamilton and Cambridge.

Fireside Tales

Cozy Up on Family Day at Westfield

with

Fireside Tales

 

Make tracks to Westfield Heritage Village on Family Day, Monday February 17^th for a fun new program called Fireside Tales.  This special day will feature the fascinating stories of how individuals and families in early Ontario embraced, feared, celebrated and sometimes despised the winter.  Drawing on archival journals, diaries and letters, the stories you hear on this day will take you back to a time before central heating, snowplows and polar fleece. 

Throughout the Village, there will be lots to see and do.  Stop by the Misener House to enjoy a cup of tea by the woodstove and discover what comfort food meant in the 1860s.  Meet the Tailor and see how wool overcoats were crafted for maximum warmth.  The Blacksmith’s House will feature a traditional paper puppet theatre play, and children will be able to take home their own paper characters.  Children will also enjoy making a special craft at the one room log school house, where they can see and feel what it would have been like to be a student in an early rural school in the winter months.  The D’Aubigny Inn’s lovely double hearth will be a cozy place to sit and hear tales of early Ontarians who delighted in the convenience of winter travel.   Foods prepared in woodstove and hearths will be available in several locations.  Hot drinks and baked goods will be available to purchase at the General Store.

Westfield’s more than thirty-five buildings dating from the late 1790s through to 1912 are staffed by authentically costumed interpreters who take you back to life in earlier times.  Photographers will delight in the site’s picturesque rural setting and authentically furnished period buildings. 

Westfield Heritage Village celebrates Fireside Tales on Family Day, Monday, February 17^th from 12:30 - 4:00 pm.  Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and people with disabilities, and $5.50 for children ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are admitted free.  Parking is free.  Gift Shop will be open.  Westfield is located at 1049 Kirkwall Road, Rockton, just off highway 8, midway between Hamilton and Cambridge.

For more information, please call (519) 621-8851 or visit westfieldheritage.ca