Getting Sappy in Elmira

Gary's Lens Photography is based in Elmira; a cozy little town just minutes north of the city of Waterloo. Among the many interesting things about Elmira is the annual celebration of Maple Syrup now running for over 50 years - since 1965.

In 2000, the Maple Syrup Festival was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest single day Maple Syrup Festival with over 66,000 people attending - almost 10 times the population of the town itself.

This year (2018), there were over 2000 volunteers, including entertainers and vendors of all kinds. The scouts set up a log sawing display and brand the piece you have cut from the log with a maple leaf. You can visit the toy display, attend the pancake flipping contest, meet the Mayor, watch a magic show, pet some animals, and of course take a tour of the sugar bush to learn how maple syrup is made.



And what festival would be complete without lots of food. There are fajitas, turkey legs, sausages, deep fried mars bars, apple fritters and of course pancakes - most of which you can douse in maple syrup. If you prefer to be more traditional you can have maple taffy - fresh maple syrup poured out on snow.


If you haven't had the pleasure of attending the festival, be sure to look up our little town and come visit. If you aren't able to make it to Elmira, Ontario in April each year, have a look at some of the photos of the festival; 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018,