Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast

Buckets collect sap on maple trees in Vermont. A new discovery means that sap doesn't have to be collected from mature trees out in the wild.

2025 Maple Harvest Festival

When: March 22–23, 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Please note that timed entry tickets are required to attend the festival and/or tour Shaver’s Creek facilities on March 22 and 23 and must be purchased online prior to the event. The event will be held rain or shine. Tickets are nonrefundable.

Check back in February 2025 for ticket sales to open.

About the Festival

We welcome you to join us to celebrate the first harvest of the new year with Shaver’s Creek! Since 1984 we have hosted our Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast to help people learn about the maple sugaring process — both in colonial times and the present day.

At the festival you can:

learn how to identify and tap sugar maple trees and visit the Sugar Shack to see sap transformed into syrup
watch costumed interpreters demonstrate sugaring techniques used by Native Americans, pioneers, and modern-day farmers
enjoy live music
see live animal programs to learn about our resident birds, reptiles, and amphibians
scale the climbing wall — open from 10:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m.
savor all-you-can-eat pancakes and maple syrup

Schedule of Events

Check back in February 2025 for a schedule of this year’s events. Last year’s schedule is shown below as a sample of our typical schedule.

No matter which day you attend, there’s plenty to see and hear at Shaver’s Creek during the Maple Harvest Festival.

Time	Events
10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.	Nature Museum Exploration Visit the Aerie Classroom in the Klingsberg Aviary at any time during the festival to experience our Nature Museum. See trail camera footage of wildlife activity from around Shaver’s Creek and engage with a touch-friendly space featuring items and objects found in nature that showcase the many behaviors and adaptations of Pennsylvania wildlife.
10:30–11:30 a.m.	Group Therapy Group Therapy is an acoustic band who plays a wide range of cover and original songs that cut across many genres including blues, contemporary country and folk, easy listening, and indie rock.
11:00–11:30 a.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
11:30 a.m.–noon	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
Noon–1:00 p.m.	The Stone Valley Pickers Enjoy folk music for all ages with local musicians Matt Marsden, Micah Spicher Schonberg, and friends.
1:30–2:00 p.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
1:30–2:30 p.m.	45 Blazers The 45 Blazers are a duet of Isaac Brackbill and Justin Kurtz playing acoustic Appalachian and western inspired country music. The two met while engaged in the Work-Study program with the Shaver’s Creek Grounds and Facilities Team.
2:00–2:30 p.m.	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
2:45–3:30 p.m.	Brendan Locke Enjoy some classic folk music with Brendan Locke on the guitar.

Time	Events
10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.	Nature Museum Exploration Visit the Aerie Classroom in the Klingsberg Aviary at any time during the festival to experience our Nature Museum. See trail camera footage of wildlife activity from around Shaver’s Creek and engage with a touch-friendly space featuring items and objects found in nature that showcase the many behaviors and adaptations of Pennsylvania wildlife.
10:30–11:30 a.m.	Group Therapy Group Therapy is an acoustic band who plays a wide range of cover and original songs that cut across many genres including blues, contemporary country and folk, easy listening, and indie rock.
11:00–11:30 a.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
11:30 a.m.–noon	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
Noon–1:00 p.m.	The Stone Valley Pickers Enjoy folk music for all ages with local musicians Matt Marsden, Micah Spicher Schonberg, and friends.
1:30–2:00 p.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
1:30–2:30 p.m.	45 Blazers The 45 Blazers are a duet of Isaac Brackbill and Justin Kurtz playing acoustic Appalachian and western inspired country music. The two met while engaged in the Work-Study program with the Shaver’s Creek Grounds and Facilities Team.
2:00–2:30 p.m.	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
2:45–3:30 p.m.	Brendan Locke Enjoy some classic folk music with Brendan Locke on the guitar.

Time	Events
10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.	Nature Museum Exploration Visit the Aerie Classroom in the Klingsberg Aviary at any time during the festival to experience our Nature Museum. See trail camera footage of wildlife activity from around Shaver’s Creek and engage with a touch-friendly space featuring items and objects found in nature that showcase the many behaviors and adaptations of Pennsylvania wildlife.
10:30–11:30 a.m.	Zephyr Wills Zephyr Wills is a folk musician from Aotearoa, New Zealand. He plays traditional New Zealand folk songs alongside his own originals in a lyrically emphasized style accompanied by acoustic guitar and harmonica. His biggest influences include Nick Drake, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash.
11:00–11:30 a.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
11:30 a.m.–noon	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
Noon–1:00 p.m.	Stacy Glen Tibbetts Enjoy some original acoustic folk with singer, guitarist, and songwriter Stacy Glen Tibbetts.
1:30–2:00 p.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
1:30–2:30 p.m.	Johnny Macko and Autumn Graham Enjoy cowboy songs and folk music with stories attached from times past.
2:00–2:30 p.m.	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
2:45–3:30 p.m.	Lissi and Vance Przybys Enjoy some folk-pop tunes from this sibling singer/guitarist duo.

Time	Events
10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.	Nature Museum Exploration Visit the Aerie Classroom in the Klingsberg Aviary at any time during the festival to experience our Nature Museum. See trail camera footage of wildlife activity from around Shaver’s Creek and engage with a touch-friendly space featuring items and objects found in nature that showcase the many behaviors and adaptations of Pennsylvania wildlife.
10:30–11:30 a.m.	Group Therapy Group Therapy is an acoustic band who plays a wide range of cover and original songs that cut across many genres including blues, contemporary country and folk, easy listening, and indie rock.
11:00–11:30 a.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
11:30 a.m.–noon	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
Noon–1:00 p.m.	The Stone Valley Pickers Enjoy folk music for all ages with local musicians Matt Marsden, Micah Spicher Schonberg, and friends.
1:30–2:00 p.m.	Springtime with Herps Meet some of our resident reptiles in the Silvi classroom and learn about our what our local turtles and snakes are up to in the coming months!
1:30–2:30 p.m.	45 Blazers The 45 Blazers are a duet of Isaac Brackbill and Justin Kurtz playing acoustic Appalachian and western inspired country music. The two met while engaged in the Work-Study program with the Shaver’s Creek Grounds and Facilities Team.
2:00–2:30 p.m.	Explore the Aviary Learn about several of the bird species that call Shaver’s Creek home. Learn about their natural history and see the methods of training and enrichment we use to engage with our avian coworkers every day! Our programs will be starting in the aviary quad, in the grass in front of the eagle enclosures.
2:45–3:30 p.m.	Brendan Locke Enjoy some classic folk music with Brendan Locke on the guitar.

Breakfast Menu

pancakes
real maple syrup
two local pork sausage patties (per person)
applesauce
beverages (juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate)

Visitor Information

Refer to the Visit Shaver’s Creek page for information on parking, accessibility, groups, prohibited items, and more.

Volunteering

A Note for Summer Camp Leaders-in-Training:

LITs will be emailed a volunteer link in late February and should not use the sign up on this page.

This event would not be possible without the help of volunteers, and we need many engaging people to help make the weekend successful! Pancakes with maple syrup will be provided, and we ask that volunteers commit to a 4-hour time slot (9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. or 12:30–4:30 p.m.) on Saturday or Sunday of the weekend. Volunteer registration will be open in early January, 2025. Volunteer positions will include:

Food Service Prep: If you are looking to get your daily step count in, this position is right for you! Food service prep consists of running and washing dishes, getting ingredients for pancakes, and helping to clean tables. More information will be given upon arrival.

Sausage Station: With the help of trained supervisors, this station gives you the opportunity to cook sausage for our hungry guests! If you like the smell of cooking breakfast in the morning, here’s your spot!

Green Team and Recycling Efforts: In this position, you are tasked with ensuring that leftover food and recycling is placed in the proper zero waste container. If you have a passion for going green, this job is a dream!

Parking: Safely directing traffic into and out of the center’s parking lots. If you like organization and directing people, park yourself in this position.

Earn Penn State Credit

Penn State students can earn valuable leadership and teaching experience and 2-credits by helping to lead and interpret maple sugaring content at our educational stations during the festival. This is a great opportunity to engage with other students and the Shaver’s Creek community.

Learn more about earning credit through AEE 297 — Interpreting Maple Sugaring to Families.

Explore our full list of Credit Courses.