Sugaring Off 250 at the Herkimer Home

As we kick off this year’s 250th commemorations, Herkimer Home invites you to join us for the return of our historic ‘Sugaring Off’ event!

This year’s event will be held on, April 11th and 12th from 10am until 4pm each day for a weekend of sweet fun, with a special Pancake Breakfast from That Little Place On Main starting at 10am. This year’s free event marks the 50th anniversary of Herkimer Home’s ‘Sugaring Off’ debut for the bicentennial in 1976!

Join us as we bid farewell to winter and welcome the start of the agricultural season with a colonial tradition of Sugaring Off! Herkimer Home will host the festivities as visitors learn about the traditional sugaring skills around General Nicholas Herkimer’s colonial manor in the scenic Mohawk Valley.

Continuing on our annual schedule of events, Sugaring Off at Herkimer Home welcomes visitors of all ages for a weekend of fun, full of historic demonstrations, military/civilian recreations, vendors, children’s activities, and more!

The tradition of sugaring, and its importance to the Mohawk Valley, pre-date European colonization where local Native American tribes began to process maple sap from the abundant maple groves of New York. European colonization expanded these traditions, as colonists acquired a taste for maple products and saw opportunities for profit. The rising cost of cane sugar in Colonial America further increased the demand for maple sugar, as colonists sought to escape Britain’s control of the sugar trade.

On site, visitors will learn firsthand about the historic process of sugaring with live demonstrations and opportunities to see the creation of the traditional tools used in sugaring off.

Additional on-site demonstrations include: colonial brewing, military drills, German foodways, colonial woodworking, and self-guided mansion tours. Don’t Miss out on your chance to join in on a guided tap walk of the property where our interpreters explain the tapping process, its evolution over time, with a special focus on the taps of the past as you can see for yourself the lasting legacy 50 years of sugaring has left on our beloved Maples!

All guests are welcome to come hungry and join us for ‘Breakfast With The General’ throughout this year’s event. Guests for this addition will be served Pancakes with Maple Syrup, eggs, and sausage while accompanied by historical interpreters for General George Washingtons’ favorite breakfast! This years ‘Breakfast With The General’ will be catered by, That Little Place on Main located at 28 W Main Street, Little Falls, NY 13365.

Be sure to check in with the Herkimer Home Facebook page for additional announcements in the near future. We hope that you stop by and join us as we commemorate Americas 250, the Sugar Bush Raids of the American Revolution and a local tradition marking the end of winter at Herkimer Home’s Sugaring Off event!