04/24/25 - WCSG's Travelin' Together - Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival

Syrup is the source of pride for Shepherd and the reason they celebrate with the annual Shepherd Syrup Festival, running now through this Sunday. Image courtesy of the Shepherd Syrup Festival. 04/24/25.

Posted by: Joel Hill | Thursday, April 24th, 2025 ( 6:00am)

With around 12-hundred maple trees in Shepherd, you can understand why they host the annual festival to celebrate the delicious syrup that pours from those trees. The Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival kicks off this week with a lot of activity along the midway with a carnival. But Saturday and Sunday are the main times for the festival, which includes all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage meals, arts and crafts, tractor shows, helicopter and pony rides, band and choir performances, and to top it off, a parade!

The Shepherd Sugar Bush Corporation is offering tours of their facilities; take a tour and see the equipment used to produce the syrup, and learn about the process of how the sweet stuff is made.

The festival goes back to 1958 when the community tapped the trees, and as a way of celebrating, hosted their first pancake dinner. Since then the festival has grown into what it is today, four fun-filled days with activities, games and rides, but also an opportunity to learn more about the process and importance of syrup harvesting.

For more information, including a complete festival schedule of times and events, visit their website at Shephed Syrup Festival.