lambscapearchitect: maple syrup festival

Last weekend we took the whole fam out to one of my favorite events in Chicago. North Park Village Nature Center hosted its 30th annual Maple Syrup Festival.

The weather was chilly, but beautiful and sunny and we were able to trek out to the maple trees to see how they are tapped every year in the spring. The Nature Center does a great job making this a fun and educational day for families. We were able to watch (and smell!) as they boiled the tree sap down turning it into maple syrup and we were allowed to sample it also. Some of us (Mike) may have gone back for more than 5 samples. The kids could make a little craft out of nature-y stuff and they could take a turn, with a grown up, at the crosscut saw to make a wooden "cookie". There was also a farmers market and handmade goods for sale as well as pancakes with, you guessed it, maple syrup!

After we finished with all the outdoor activities and some exploring we headed inside to warm up by the roaring fire and enjoyed a performance by a storyteller. We played for a bit in the discovery room where they have loads of animal and nature themed toys and books. Eloise treated the crowd to several puppet shows and Harriet tried to ruin each of them by stealing all the puppets, just like a little sister should.

One of the highlights of the day was discovering a new band that we all loved. They were folksy and hippy and cute and cuddly and they call themselves The Giving Tree Band. Harriet was completely mesmerized by them. As we sat in the front row she was absolutely still (a rarity) and focused. The only thing moving was her head which nodded up and down, up and down through their entire set exactly in time to the music.

The perfect finish to our fun adventure was lunch at the amazing Smoque BBQ. If you haven't been yet, get your ass over there. It is so delicious and worth the trip--go early, the lines can be long. We ate ourselves silly and then headed home for well deserved and lengthy naps.