Cedar Falls is hosting a sweet event this weekend. The Maple Syrup Festival is both educational and tasty, according to Anne Duncan, spokeswoman for the Hartman Reserve Nature Center. Duncan says the main reason most people come is for the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, which includes a show with pancake-tossing chefs, while the syrup for the pancakes is actually made at the reserve.
Duncan says when folks are done enjoying their meals, they can help prepare for next year’s event. She says the “sugar shack” will be open for tours and visitors can pull the maple syrup from the buckets on the trees, dump it into the reserve tanks and learn how the syrup is made and packaged for the 2007 festival. For more information, call (319) 277-2187. Another maple syrup festival is underway today (Saturday) in Cedar Rapids at the Indian Creek Nature Center.