The Ipperwash Maple Syrup Festival will return after being on hiatus since 2020.
The event ran for over 20 years but was put on hold because of the pandemic.
"We talked about doing it last year but it never seemed to happen and three years ago, I didn't make syrup due to having some knee problems. So we got that straightened out and we're back at it again," said Allan Williamson of Williamson Farms.
The festival will be held on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22.
Williamson said they'll offer tours of the sugar bush and explain the maple syrup production process. Tours and hayrides will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The Ausable Port Franks Optimist Club will host the pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Bloom Resort Campground.
The cost is $12 for adults and $9 for kids between the ages of four and 10.
The first boil of 2026 took place on February 21.
Williamson said based on the last few years, the timing is not early.
"My rule of thumb always used to be March 1," he said. "The last few years, we've been going in the middle of February. It's started, but it's really started slow."
Williamson said the recent weather has been too cold for sap flow. He said daytime temperatures of 4 C and lows of -4 C would be optimal.
Meanwhile, the A. W. Campbell Maple Syrup Festival will be held on March 21 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Parking will be at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre Complex and a shuttle will take guests to the festival.
The festival costs $5 per person but is free for those under the age of five.
The Alvinston Firefighters Association will host its Maple Syrup Festival breakfast on March 21 and March 22 at the arena from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
