Achi news desk-
Saturday marked an important milestone for the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival.
The event celebrated its 60th anniversary with the same great flavors and fun that made it the world’s largest one-day maple syrup festival.
David Bock says he has been to every episode since the festival opened in 1965. According to him, the syrup has always been the main attraction.
“It’s always that golden, sweet taste,” Bock said.
More than 120 vendors flooded Arthur Street with food, treats and merchandise. The event included live music, collectible shows and family areas for all ages to enjoy.
For Richard Sader, the festival has grown by leaps and bounds since its opening.
“My mother was one of the first sellers the first year the Almira Maple Syrup Festival was held,” Sader said. “There were only a few hundred people who participated, compared to today [at least] 80,000”.
The event was first recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest one-day maple syrup festival in 2000, and continues to grow.
Michel Proskorowski traveled from Belgium to see the event for himself, and said the combination of the syrup and the pancake did not disappoint.
“I much prefer it. It’s much denser and tastes like syrup rather than condensed milk,” Proskorovsky told CTV News. “My friends always tell me how great it is in Canada.”
Along with the delicious syrup the festival returned millions of dollars to the community. More than $1.7 million has been returned to charities and non-profits over the past 60 years.
