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Sweet Success: Almaguin Maple Festival Pours into Year Two
Maple syrup flows through the veins of Canadians across the country but did you know that right here in Almaguin we have taps and spigots a plenty?
For over 70 years,the Hubbert family has been creating tasty maple syrup in the Township of Strong and according to Bill Hubbert, the local maple syrup economy has changed quite a bit since then.
“Years ago almost every farmer made a bit of maple syrup,” Hubbert said, explaining that now instead of most farmers having thousands of taps, there’s fewer people in Almaguin making maple syrup on a large scale.
“We’ve got more hobbyists now than we ever had,” he said. “... That’s one thing we have an advantage of in the Almaguin area is we have some of the largest concentrations of maple forests.”
That’s just one more reason why Almaguin is so sweet. You know what else is sweet? Maple syrup festivals.
Did you know that most maple syrup festivals take place after Maple Weekend? That’s when syrup production starts to slow down a bit for the farmers.
In 2024, Hubbert’s Maple decided to host its first maple syrup event on the kick-off day for Maple Weekend: the first weekend in April. According to Hubbert, it went better than expected.
“Usually on Maple Weekend, we get 20 or 30 visitors,” he said, noting that they thought maybe they’d get 50 to 100 people if they created an event online.
“It ended up being a perfect day and we had over 500 people come to the farm.”
This Maple Weekend, April 5, 2025, Hubbert said he hopes to see the festival grow but added he and his family will need help to see it get there.
“We’re going to need some help though if it keeps growing,” he said. “We are still making maple syrup.”
So what makes this maple event different from the others? The timing to start. Most maple syrup festivals like the ones in Powassan, Muskoka and Parry Sound are hosted when the production season is mainly over and the maple producers can attend; however, Hubberts chose the first weekend in April, as a way to celebrate the maple season.
“What’s different about this festival compared to a lot of other maple festivals both in our local area and around the province is this is right at the sugar house,” Hubbert said. “You can come to the sugar house and get pancakes in the warehouse; you can get a tour and see the (local) vendors.”
“Nothing wrong with street festivals,” he added. “We love them, we participate in them - this is just a little bit different.”
So what can you expect when you head out to Hubbert’s Maple on April 5, 2025?
Hyper local Almaguin vendors such as: Loon’s Nest Pottery, Ahmic Lake Apiaries, Algonquin Coffee, face painting by the Heartist, Pine Acres Farm and many more!
Be sure to come with an appetite because the Sundridge Lions Club is hosting a pancake breakfast with the freshest maple syrup this side of Highway 11 and in the afternoon, there will be a BBQ hosted by both the Sundridge Lions and the South River Lions Club.
It’s not every day the sugar shack opens its doors to the public and you won’t want to miss this opportunity.
“We are a very modern sugar bush,” said Hubbert, noting his family-run operation has a lot of the equipment that industrial-sized operations have. “It’s nice to be able to bring people in, show them a 17,000 tap maple syrup operation that’s still a family farm which is kind of cool.”
“Our maple syrup is handmade,” he said. “Our hands just move very fast.”
