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Have you ever had something trigger childhood memories? I did recently when I attended the Maple Syrup Hall of Fame Brunch in Burton with my mom and sister-in-law.

This by-invitation-only event is sponsored by the Geauga County Maple Festival and is held before the festival to reveal winners of this year’s maple contests.

There are several classes, each having several categories, in which entries can be made. The first is the maple candy class for adults and children to enter. The hobby class is for syrup producers who have fewer than 200 taps, and producers can live in or outside of Geauga County. The out-of-county and in-county classes are for producers that have more than 200 taps.

Maple syrup production has been celebrated in Geauga County for many years. The 100th Geauga County Maple Festival started April 23 and ran through Sunday evening in  Chardon Square. The festival was the idea of Chardon merchant Art Carlson, and with the help of friends, the first Maple Festival was celebrated in 1926. The goal was to raise awareness of Ohio maple syrup production, with the hope of competing with Vermont syrup.

Maple syrup is a big deal in northeastern Ohio and to my family as well. My first maple memory was when I was about 10. A labor-intensive process, my father had been assisting friends, George and Catherine Binnig. He brought me along to help, too.

I would gather sap with George, riding on the collection wagon as he drove through the woods, then sit with him in the sugar house while he was boiling the sap. Catherine always kept snacks for us in a small metal cupboard-like container, protecting them from mice. She also kept tea bags there so we could make tea with sap from the boiling pan. And when snacks didn’t cut the hunger, a meal could be had up at the house. George and Catherine were like another set of grandparents. It became a joint venture between the Binnigs and our family, and Dad kept the legacy going for a lot of years.

Back to the brunch. There is another award given — Best Producer of the Year, which is like the grand champion of all of the syrups entered. This year the honor went to Tom Robison from Thompson, my hometown. Another highlight of the event was the announcement of the newest Hall of Fame inductee, Jerry Tvergyak. This brought up more memories because in 1987, my dad received Best Producer of the Year. That was also the year that George and Catherine were inducted into the Maple Hall of Fame. My mom was invited to the brunch because she and Dad were inducted into the Maple Hall of Fame in 2002.

The Geauga County Maple Festival has changed a lot over the years, but still has a rich heritage built on an industry still going strong. Being reminded of these memories and so many more has put me in a grateful state of mind. I am grateful that I grew up on a farm in northeastern Ohio that afforded me many experiences that most kids don’t have.

Submitted by Mary Smallsreed, a member of the Trumbull County Farm Bureau and grew up on a family dairy farm in Northeast Ohio.

OFBF Mission: Working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities.