The 65th Highland County Maple Festival returns and takes visitors on a cultural and culinary adventure March 8-9 and March 15-16. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors to celebrate the opening of the trees and to observe the process of making delicious, pure maple syrup.
Sugar camp tours provide a unique and educational experience for the entire family to learn how syrup is made from tree to bottle. Local sugar camps have even expanded to include syrups infused with fruits and spices or even aged in spirit barrels. Ten local sugar camps will be open on Saturdays and eight on Sundays this year.
Local civic clubs and organizations will be bringing back their delicious food offerings including fresh maple doughnuts, pancake and buckwheat cake meals, trout, pork rinds and just about anything maple-flavored.
More than 100 juried arts and crafts vendors will be available in Monterey and McDowell. The Highland County Artisans’ Shop will be set up at The Highland Center in Monterey to showcase local crafts for sale. Admission to access vendors in the Highland County public school gyms and The Highland Center will be $5 and may be purchased onsite (children 12 and under are free). Admission includes a maple leaf keychain that also provides access to entertainment at The Highland Center.
New for 2025, the Highland County Visitor Center is now located in the Highlander restaurant at the intersection of Rt. 220 and 250.
A shuttle service in Monterey will be expanded to all four days of the festival to help reduce traffic congestion. The route begins at the Monterey Stockyard and runs on a continuous loop with a stop at Rt. 220 near the Highland County Public Schools, a new stop near the Mill Gap Ruritan doughnut trailer and a stop at The Highland Center.
The festival is coordinated by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce.
Festival hours are Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. though visitors can get a jumpstart to the day with maple doughnuts being served at 6 a.m. and pancake meals starting as early as 7 a.m.
Full details on the festival can be found at www.highlandcounty.org/maple-festival
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Crystal Graham
