Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast

We welcome you to join us to celebrate the first harvest of the new year with Shaver’s Creek! Since 1984 we have hosted our Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast to help people learn about the maple sugaring process — both in colonial times and the present day. At the festival you can:

• learn how to identify and tap sugar maple trees and visit the Sugar Shack to see sap transformed into syrup
• watch costumed interpreters demonstrate sugaring techniques used by Native Americans, pioneers, and modern-day farmers
• enjoy live music
• see live animal programs to learn about our resident birds of prey, reptiles, and amphibians
• scale the climbing wall — open from 10:30 a.m–2:30 p.m.
• savor all-you-can-eat pancakes and maple syrup!

Schedule of Events

No matter which day you attend, there’s plenty to see and hear at Shaver’s Creek during the Maple Harvest Festival.

Note: The 2023 schedule of events will be posted as soon as it is available. The 2022 schedule is shown below for reference.

Day	Events
Saturday, March 26, 2022	10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.: Explore the Klingsberg Aviary with Animal Care Staff Starting every hour, on the hour. Meet at the Klingsberg Aviary entrance for a thirty-minute guided interpretation of the aviary and the birds who call it home. 11:00–11:45 a.m.: Meet the Farmers See how cornmeal produced from heirloom Bloody Butcher corn from Plowshare Produce is shelled and used in your pancakes! 12:45–1:30 p.m.: The Stone Valley Pickers, Folk Music Micah Spicher Schonberg, Jen Breimhurst, Alan Cook, Matt Marsden 2:30–3:15 p.m.: Brendan Locke, Classic Folk
Sunday, March 27, 2022	10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.: Explore the Klingsberg Aviary with Animal Care Staff Starting every hour, on the hour. Meet at the Klingsberg Aviary entrance for a thirty-minute guided interpretation of the Klingsberg Aviary and the birds who call it home. 11:00–11:45 a.m.: Stacy Tibbetts, Acoustic Folk 12:45–1:30 p.m.: Meet the Pennsylvania Maple Queen Join Pennsylvania Maple Queen Rebecca Wright to enjoy an interactive maple activity for more about maple sugaring. 2:30–3:15 p.m.: Joe Belle and Friends, Appalachian Folk Rock

 

What Does the Maple Harvest Festival Cost?

Admission to the festival and all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast (including two organic sausages) for:

• children, ages 5 and under: FREE
• nonmembers: $10 (ages 12+) and $6 (ages 6–11)
• members: $5 (ages 12+) and $3 (ages 6–11)

Breakfast Menu

Pancakes, real maple syrup, two local pork sausage patties (per person), applesauce, and beverages (juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate)

Visitor Information

Refer to the Visit Shaver’s Creek page for information on parking, accessibility, groups, prohibited items, and more.

Volunteering

This event would not be possible without the help of volunteers, and we need some fun people to help make the weekend great. Pancakes with maple syrup will be provided, and we ask that volunteers commit to a 4-hour time slot (9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. or 12:30–4:30 p.m.) on Saturday or Sunday of the weekend. We have a multitude of volunteer positions available; see list below. Let us know if you are available and interested by filling out the online volunteer form (available soon) or by emailing Tori.

Email Tori

Food Service Prep: If you are looking to get your daily step count in, this position is right for you! Food service prep consists of running and washing dishes, getting ingredients for pancakes, and helping to clean tables. More information will be given upon arrival.

Sausage Station: With the help of trained supervisors, this station gives you the opportunity to cook sausage for our hungry guests! If you like the smell of cooking breakfast in the morning, here’s your spot!

Zero Waste Czar/Recycling Efforts: In this position, you are tasked with ensuring that leftover food and recycling is placed in the proper zero waste container. If you have a passion for going green, this job is a dream!

Parking: Safely directing traffic into and out of the center’s parking lots. If you like organization and directing people, park yourself in this position.

Earn Penn State Credit

Penn State students can earn 2-credits by helping to lead and interpret maple sugaring content at our educational stations during the festival. This is a great opportunity to engage with other students and the Shaver’s Creek community. For more information, please see the flyer for 2023 (PDF) or view information about our Credit Courses.