DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, PA — ‘Tis the season to tap maple trees. The sap is running in Northeast PA and the Upper Delaware River Valley National Scenic And Recreation Area. Trees are getting affixed with faucets and trimmed with buckets. Soon sugar shacks on family farms and backyards will have intense fires burning 24/7, transforming the clear sap into the warm hues of maple syrup. 

To celebrate this first stirring of spring and one of North America‘s unique natural products in the region, the Damascus Manor Community Center (DMCC) in Wayne County will host its fourth annual maple syrup harvest pancake breakfast on Saturday, March 16 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the community center. All are welcome to come and feast on classic and buckwheat pancakes served with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and, of course, locally produced maple syrup. It’s all prepared in the center’s kitchen by community volunteers. 

The cost per person is $12 for adults and $7 for children aged 12 and under, payable in cash only. 

In addition to breakfast, attendees will be able to purchase baked goods from the kitchens of Damascus Township cooks, including maple cookies and maple scones as well as locally produced syrup. There is ample parking, and the community center is handicapped accessible.

Guests are also welcome to follow a free self-guided tour of local “sugar bushes” to get a real flavor of the tree-to-table experience.

The tour is sponsored by the NEPA Maple Producers Association.

Proceeds from the event will contribute to the coffers of the Damascus Manor Community Center (DMCC) to help support local services including the Damascus Volunteer Ambulance Corp., the Damascus Food Pantry and the Equinunk Volunteer Fire Department.  

“We are fortunate to dwell in this beautifully and richly diverse part of Pennsylvania with so much history and tradition,” said DMCC chairwoman Linda Dexter. “These gatherings are part of the good old days happening right now,”

The DMCC is located at 60 Conklin Hill Rd.

For information about the tour, call Trevor Tochydlowski of the Wayne Conservation District at 570/253-0930. 

For DMCC breakfast information, call Dexter at 570/729-7270.