Elmira Maple Syrup Festival
Encyclopedia
Elmira, Ontario
The town of Elmira in Ontario, Canada is the largest community within the Township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is located 15 km to the north of the city of Waterloo.-History:...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The yearly festival began on April 10, 1965. Organizers anticipated 2,500 attendees, but instead it drew a crowd of 10,000 visitors, thus ensuring its continuation. It continued to grow as an annual tradition in subsequent years, peaking in popularity with 66,529 visitors in 2000, making it the world's largest one day consumption of maple syrup according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Volunteers from the Canadian Automobile Association
Canadian Automobile Association
The Canadian Automobile Association , commonly known as CAA, is a non-profit federation, founded in 1913, of nine clubs across Canada, providing roadside assistance service, a complete range of auto touring and leisure travel services, insurance services, and member discounts with preferred...
counted people entering Elmira by car that year. The festival regularly attracts visitors from around the world, including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the rest of Canada.
Also in 2000, the Festival served its 500,000th pancake. Pancakes, apple fritters, homemade toffee (weather permitting), log sawing competitions, arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
(notably quilts made by local Mennonites), sugar bush tours by tractor wagon and other attractions are among the festivities. Large quantities of maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
is also sold. The town's main street, Arthur Street, is closed to automobile traffic for the day, where vendors set up booths to sell souvenirs and other items. It is organized by a board and run by approximately 2,000 volunteers each year.