Page 2
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Page 3
Maple Festival Back for Another Sweet Year By Grace Hare editor@karlovecmedia.com
The 91st Geauga County Maple Festival is back in action and ready to roll. After being forced to limit in-person events due to COVID-19 the last two years, the annual festival will be returning in full force April 21-24 on Chardon Square. “We’re excited to be back in the full swing of things this year and know that we will have a great festival regardless of the weather,” said festival Director Jen Freeman. Founded in 1926, the Geauga County Maple Festival started out as an effort to increase awareness of maple syrup production in the Chardon area. Almost a century later, it is an annual tradition hosting the largest maple contest in the state of Ohio. Even when faced with the challenges of a global pandemic, the festival endured, bringing the community together along the “Maple Mile,” a drive-through farmers market coordinated by Richards Maple Products and Sages Apples in Chardon, said Annie Royal, publicity director for the Geauga County Maple Festival. This year, the festival will be returning to its normal in-person activities by bringing back some past favorites such as the Sap Run, the annual Grand Parades, carnival rides, concessions and more. Weather permitting, the festival will open its concessions and festivities on April 21 at 12 p.m., and end on April 24, at 7 p.m., according to the festival coordinators. Organizers also ask that pets be left at home.v In an effort to encourage more participation, the festival switched the tug-of-war days to Saturday at noon, they said, adding this year, the festival is introducing new bands and entertainment, such as The Chardon Polka Band, which will be playing April 22. Swifty The Clown and Jungle Terry are new entertainment acts added to the festival that can be found on the festival’s entertainment stage April 23.
The Grand Parades
This year’s theme is “Maple... Geauga’s Liquid Sunshine.” The Grand Parades take place on Saturday and Sunday of the Maple Festival. The parades showcase many local companies, city officials and other city groups. The local high schools dance team and cheerleaders participate, as well as the king and queen of the Maple Festival and other state festivals. This year’s grand marshals are Chardon High School football coach Mitch Hewitt and WKYC meteorologist Matt Wintz. Most of the rides are not in operation during the parades. Come line the streets of the square while those participating throw candy or other goodies to the crowd.
Free Shuttle Bus
A free shuttle bus service is being sponsored by Lowe Scott Fisher. It will run from Sheetz (435 Water St.) to the Square on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shuttles will not operate during the parades, which will be approximately 2:45-4:30 p.m. For more information about the festival’s activities, call the help desk at 440-332-7055 or send an email to info@maplefestival.com.
Page 4
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Longtime Maple Producer Makes Mark on Hall of Fame By Rose Nemunaitis editor@karlovecmedia.com For the past 50 years, Mike Tvergyak has dedicated his time and talents to maple syrup production and carrying on many Geauga County Maple Festival traditions. On this his golden jubilee year, he was honored for his efforts. Mike was inducted into the 2022 Maple Syrup Hall of Fame April 16 at the annual Producers Hall of Fame Brunch at Mary Yoder’s Kitchen in Middlefield. “It is a great honor to be inducted in the 2022 Maple Syrup Hall of Fame,” Mike said during a recent interview. “So many great mentors and people I learned so much from are on that wall (at the Patterson Center on the Geauga County Fairgrounds in Burton) and it’s wonderful to be there with them.” The Geauga County Maple Syrup Hall of Fame was established in 1984 and every year, at least one person is inducted. The sole criteria is that the person has to have contributed significantly to the maple industry in Geauga County. “Mike has made syrup on the Chardon Square and other woods for many years,” David Patterson said. “He has been instrumental in organizing and coordinating the Geauga maple festival for many years. He is a great selection for the hall.” Mike and his wife, Nancy Tvergyak, met in 1974 in the sugarhouse on the square. “During the 19 years he ran the sugarhouse, he took his responsibilities very seriously,” Nancy said. “Many school groups and private groups made arrangements for learn-
ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG
The 2022 Maple Syrup Hall of Fame inductee Mike Tvergyak and wife, Nancy, in their indoor pavilion on their property in Chardon.
ing sessions. He devoted every spring to educate the public. It was a valuable lesson for our children that grew up in the sugarhouse, to provide a service to the community and put others before themselves.” Mike recalled his favorite part of the festival as a child was the sugarhouse and horse-pulling contests. He was introduced to maple syrup-making at a very early age. His grandfather, father and uncles were syrup producers on the Tvergyak Munson
Township Dairy Farm from the early 1920s until the mid-1950s. When Mike was 13 years old, he began making syrup at home using a flat pan with a wood fire out in the open. “By the time I was 15, I had bought a three-barrel gathering tank from Richards Maple Products and started hauling maple sap to a longtime friend of my father’s, Ed Soubusta,” Mike said. They made syrup on his Parks & Barker evaporator. He continued making syrup with Soubusta until graduating from Chardon High School, after which he was drafted in 1970. “He spent his military time mostly in Germany fortunately avoiding Vietnam,” Nancy said. “This was the first time he ventured away from home. It was quite an adjustment leaving his eight siblings, parents and farm chores.” After he was discharged from the army, Mike continued syrup-making with Soubusta in his sugarhouse. “I was fortunate to have great teachers and mentors like Soubusta, Lynn Hosford and Roy Grant,” he said. “They had much knowledge and taught me the history and process of making a quality product.” In 1973, he started making syrup in the
Geauga County Maple Festival sugarhouse. “I was recruited by Mr. Maple himself, Paul Richards. It was made very clear to me that community education on syrup production and history was an important part of the job. I continued running the sugarhouse for 19 years. After that, I helped Bob Freeman, the current producer, for two more years.” Jen Freeman has known Mike and his family her whole life. She said the Tvergyak family has always been friends with the Richards family. “When I was young, Mike ran the Geauga County Maple Festival sugarhouse,” Freeman said. “There are warm memories of being in that sugarhouse. He was a friend to everyone who entered and always willing to educate and lend a helping hand to a fellow syrup maker. “This award is a long time coming. Mike does so much that goes unseen. He also has the best stories,” she added. “He is a wealth of knowledge of folks from the area, especially of days that have gone by. Sit down and have a conversation with him, you won’t be sorry.” The Tvergyaks moved into the home of Nancy’s parents, Rufus and Lynette Ratcliffe, in 2012 to care for Nancy’s mom, who died in See Conservation • Page 5
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga County Maple Leaf
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TIMES LEADER
A 1982 picture of Mike Tvergyak, this year’s Maple Syrup Hall of Fame inductee, during the early years of his syrup production at the old sugarhouse on Chardon Square.
Conservation from page 4
2018, after her dad’s passing. As the years went by, “the art” of maple syrup-making remains his favorite thing to do. “We both enjoy working hard and playing hard and community involvement,” Nancy added. “Our children and grandchildren are our gifts to care for. Best job ever.” Nancy said all three of their children are successful local business owners in the community they love. “This marks my 50th year with the maple festival,” Mike said. “I had many great and
fun moments running the sugarhouse and the wonderful people I met throughout the years on the square.” Patterson said Mike has always had a “let’s get it done attitude.” “He’s seen and done everything and is very helpful to everyone,” Patterson said. “Mike is such a popular choice. Everyone knows and likes him. He does so much in the background that I feel it is well deserved that he gets this honor. He is a bridge from past to the present. He knew and worked with so many key people and he brings that experience to us now. His knowledge and experience is invaluable to us now. His stories are our heritage now.”
Page 5
Page 6
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Sharpen Your Lumberjack Skills The lumberjack competition is made up of several different contests, including chainsaw, cross cutting, axe throwing and chopping competitions. Both men and women can participate in all of these events. The jack and jill race involves one man and one women on each team competing to see who can saw through their designated piece of wood the fastest. In the past, contestants have come from Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York – some have even been memebrs of the Stihl Timbersports Series. Each year this competition has grown into a real crowd-pleasing event. This year the prize money will total at least $4,800. The competition will be held on Saturday and Sunday during the week of the festival at the north end of Chardon Square.
GEAUGA COUNTY MAPLE FESTIVAL WEBSITE
GEAUGA COUNTY MAPLE FESTIVAL WEBSITE
How Fast Can a Bathtub Travel? A fan favorite is the annual bathtub races, where contestants affix wheels and sometimes over-the-top decorations onto bathtubs and speed down Main Street. There is both a men’s bracket and a women’s bracket. Each team may have no more than five people — one driver inside the tub
and four pushers. Only two people are allowed to push at a time. Contestants steer and push the bathtub 250 feet down Main Street around a turnaround point and back again. The races start at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 11.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga County Maple Leaf
SUBMITTED
Chardon Kiwanis will sell maple products at the Heritage House during the Maple Festival.
Chardon Kiwanis Club Offers Maple Products for Sale Submitted The Chardon Kiwanis Club is delighted to see the arrival of maple season in Northeast Ohio. There is no better time in Geauga County than maple season because of the wonderful events involving a sweet local product we have all become connoisseur of. The Kiwanis Club of Chardon is pleased to be part of this local tradition. In the coming weeks, for yet another year, the maple producers will be gathering to bottle lots of the sweet stuff produced at local farm sugarhouses. Then maple syrup that will be bottled locally will be sold at the Heritage House on the Chardon Square by the Chardon Kiwanis. The Heritage House opened for syrup sales on Tapping Sunday – March 6 – and each following Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In addition, maple sales will occur
during the Maple Festival, April 21-24. Those that stop by can expect to find maple cotton candy, maple syrup, famous maple cream and sugar. As in previous years, all profits from Kiwanis sales will go towards scholarships for graduating seniors planning to attend college or trade school, as well as other community projects throughout the year. “Being able to enjoy something sweet while helping area youth pursue their further education is a great way to celebrate our great maple tradition,” said Jim Rayl, chairperson of maple sales for 2022. “I encourage you to come out to the Heritage House to purchase something special and support our area students.” If you would like to learn more about the activities of the Chardon Kiwanis, visit their website at www.kiwanisclubofchardon.org or call 440-537-4718.
Page 7
Page 8
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Maple Festival Events Carnival Rides
The Geauga County Maple Festival features rides for all ages. Individual tickets and wristbands are available every day. Wristband pricing is as follows: Thursday: 4-10 p.m. – $20 Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – $20 4-11 p.m. – $20 Saturday: All day (10 a.m. to 11 p.m.) – $25 Sunday: All day (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.) – $25
Kiddie Tractor Pull
The Kiddie Tractor Pull is open to all kids ages 5 - 11. Registration is Saturday, April 23 at 11 a.m. Registration takes places on Main Street in front of the entertianment stage at 10 a.m. The pull takes place in front of the stage. Winners are eligible to compete at the Ohio State Championships.
Pancakes in the Park
All you can eat pancakes will be availvle Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adults are $10; children under 6 are free with a paying adult. Meals are always served with real Geauga County maple syrup, all you can eat pancakes with 2 sausage links and choice of drink. Pancakes in the Park is run solely by the Geauga County Festival Board. Any profit from the pancake tent is returned to the general fund of the Maple Festival, which allows the board to bring the festival back each year.
Baby Diaper Changing Station Saturday & Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Chardon Assembly of God NW corner of Chardon Square
Tug of War The Tug of War Contest will take place in front of the Fire Station on Saturday, April 23 at 12 p.m. There is no cost to register. The first place prize is $500, second place is $300 and third place is $100. Teams are to consist of members not weighing more than 1,200 pounds.
Sap Run Welcome to the Geauga County Maple Festival Sap Run! Join in on April 24 at 8 a.m. for the 1-mile and 8:30 a.m. for the 5-mile. Packet pickup and race day registration will take place at the Maple Festival Main Stage. Awards will be done at the same location immediately following the race. Pre-Packet pickup is available at Achilles Running located at 7439 Mentor Ave., Mentor, from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, April 22. Online pre-registation is available at https://my.raceresult.com/196210/registration. It closes at midnight on April 21. Pre-registration is $15 for the 1-mile and $30 for the 5-mile.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga County Maple Leaf
GEAUGA COUNTY MAPLE FESTIVAL WEBSITE
A Peek Into the Past of the Festival The Maple Festival was founded in 1926 in an attempt to market Ohio syrup in competition with Vermont syrup, and now this traditional sweet soiree hosts the largest maple contest in the state of Ohio. The festival was the idea of Art Carlson, a local merchant on Chardon square, who wanted to increase awareness — and the price — of Geauga’s maple syrup. At the time, maple syrup sold for 50 cents a gallon. When Carlson told some friends about his idea they started planning the first Geauga
County Maple Festival. The Geauga County News announced that Chardon was going to “treat the general public to a good old fashioned maple sugar eat.” The event featured free dishes of maple syrup, a sugar camp, tapped trees, a maple products display and ox team gathering sap. Festival planners expected 5,000 vistors and worried over the April ice storm. Over 15,000 people attended, and now the festival is an annual tradition.
Page 9
Page 10
Geauga County Maple Leaf
COURTESY GEAUGA MAPLE FESTIVAL WEBSITE
Pictured, from left, are Princess Molly Walsh, Prince Sean Walsh and royal court member Aurielle Armstrong.
New Royalty to be Crowned A sweet new queen and king will welcome visitors at the Maple Festival. The application deadline was April 10, but this year’s contenders didn’t faces judging until April 20. Candidates include: Eleanor Ramos from Riverside High School and Lakeland Community College; Hannah Benesh from BOSS : Buckeye Online School For Success: (Ohiobased online school); Abigail Ritosa from
Lakeland Community College; Allison Blasko from Cardinal High School and Tonille (TJ) Decipeda from Chardon High School. While the king and queen were not announced until after the Maple Leaf’s press deadline, this year’s prince and princess are already named. Sean Walsh is prince, Molly Walsh is princess and Aurielle Armstrong is in the royal court.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Page 11
FILE PHOTO
A record crowd turned out for the 2016 Geauga County Maple Festival Beard and Mustache Contest.
Festival Offers Food, Fun and Facial Hair Staff Report The Geauga County Beard and Mustache Contest returns to the Maple Festival, with prizes for the best beards in nine categories. The contest makes its triumphant return April 24 at 2:15 pm, compliments of Honest Amish and Element 41 on Chardon Square, as well as co-partners Square Up Barbershop and Square City. All beards are welcome, and questions can be directed to thebeardcaster@gmail.com. The categories for the beard and mustache contest are as follows: 1. Kids Fake Creative Category This is a participation category, meaning all children who enter will be awarded a prize. Be creative and have fun! Come up with a fake beard or mustache and have mom and dad help you build it. 2. Whiskerina Beard This category is for the women who participate in beard and mustache competitions. Beards are crafted out of various materials, and some entrants accompany their mustached masterpieces with a matching cos-
tume. If you are a female and want to try, be creative. Costumes aren’t necessary but they may help. 3. Fullest Beard This category is for general facial hair, and can include a small beard, or a thick beard. It all depends on what the crowd thinks. 4. Best Mustache This one is pretty much self-explanatory. 5. Longest Beard If you have a long beard, this one is for you. 6. Crazy/Freestyle Beard This one is an “anything goes” category. Hairspray it up, do something fun, make a wild creation; just go crazy with it anyway you can think. 7. Best Chops/Sideburns This is for the guys with the chops. 8. Most Original Beard This can fit everything else that doesn’t fit the other categories. This could be a goatee, a whaler, any type of partial beard or something that is different from the traditional “ear to ear” beard.
9. Best Effort This is for those guys who just can’t grow. It might be all spotty, short, just plain “bad looking”– but you made the effort to try! 10. Maple Festival Grand Champion This category is for the winners of the other nine categories. All placed in a row, crowd participation helps to determine which winner will be crowned Grand Champion.
Page 12
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022
The Trees are a Changin’ By Les Ober ANR Extension Educator, Geauga Co. OSU Extension I suppose if you had to select one word that would describe maple syrup production in NE Ohio over the last five years it would be “change.” Traditionally maple trees are tapped on President’s Day and the season runs until April. In the last five years producers have been tapping trees earlier – in some cases, the last week of January. They have been boiling a large percentage of their syrup in February. In most cases by the time the Maple Festival gets here, the season is a distant memory. Seasons like 2020 will be remembered for excellent production, while 2021 will be remember as a below average year. It is Ober really hard to categorize the 2022 season. In Ohio, it was not a one size fits all season. The first reports that reached my desk were that the 2022 season in Ohio was a bust. A half crop at best and for some may be true. For others, that was not the case at all. It all came down to location and timing. In parts of the state that you would expect a poor crop in a bad year, a full crop was produced. In areas where producers traditionally navigate Mother Nature’s obstacle course, the result was less than favorable. Again, it all depended on the location of the sugarbush and when they started and when they finished. In Ohio, the 2022 season turned back the
clock to a more traditional start. The majority of the producers tapped within a week of President’s Day. The 2022 season was also a very intense season. The majority of the syrup was made over a very short period of time between March 1 and St. Patrick’s Day. Heavy snows in February, and heaver rain the first part of March, resulted in an abundance of moisture in the woods. Two things happen when you have excessive amounts of precipitation. It translates into large volumes of sap, and it contributes to below normal sugar content in the sap. In 2022, that certainly was the case. A 60 to 1 sap to syrup ratio, was not uncommon. This scenario was not the case all over. At this writing the syrup seasons in up-state New York, Vermont and Maine appear to be excellent. That was also the case in the Upper Midwest. It is too early to know the outcome in Canada. As a result, local maple connoisseurs, do not need to worry about the availability of their favorite product. There will be an adequate supply for the festival and beyond. There may be slight uptick in price, but a more than adequate crop in the Northeast and Canada will keep the price in line. The only thing folks need to do now is to head on over the Geauga County Maple Festival and load up on pure Geauga County maple syrup, maple value added products and maple stirs. Remember, pure maple syrup on your weekend pancakes make the maple festival last all year long.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Page 13
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Page 14
Always the Last Sunday in March
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Honey vs. Maple Syrup? By Andrew Weil, M.D.
In Geauga County, the celebration of Maple Syrup traditionally begins on Tappin’ Sunday, which usually occurs on the first or second Sunday in March. This year, Tappin’ Sunday came on March 6, when all the maple trees on Chardon Square were tapped to produce syrup for the festival.
Tapping a tree strats by drilling a hole. Then, a spile - a metal or plastic spigot is driven into the hole. Finally, a bucket is hung from the tree to collect maple sap. The sap collected from Tappin’ Sunday is then taken to the Chardon Square sugar house, where it is turned into maple syrup stirs for customers to enjoy.
Which is healthier — honey or maple syrup? Although both of these natural sweeteners have a lot of similarities, they have some key differences, too. Those differences are what make maple syrup a healthier choice. Both honey and maple syrup are sticky, viscous, amber-colored liquids that are often used as alternatives to table sugar, whether in baking or when added to tea and other beverages. Honeybees produce honey from the sugary nectar of flowers and store it in honeycombs. Real maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees, which is high in sugar in early spring. (Don’t confuse it with “pancake syrup,” an imitation product that typically contains artificial colors and preservatives and gets its sweetness from high-fructose corn syrup.) The major differences between honey and maple syrup involve their nutritional composition. Both honey and maple syrup contain a similar amount of calories: One tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, while one tablespoon of maple syrup has 52 calories. At first glance, they may seem similar in carbohydrate content, too. Honey contains 17.3 grams per tablespoon and maple syrup 13.4 grams. But that’s almost a difference of an entire teaspoon of extra sugar. Honey does contain small amounts of antioxidants, such as a vitamin C, while maple syrup is a much richer source of manganese, zinc, and vitamin B2. For me, the tie breaker between these two sweeteners is the type of sugar they
contain, particularly the amount of fructose. The body cannot metabolize fructose well; diets high in it derange liver function, promote insulin resistance and obesity, and increase risk of cardiovascular disease. The fructose content of honey is about 40 percent. That of maple syrup averages less than 4 percent. For this reason, I view maple syrup as a healthier option than honey. However, it’s important to remember that both maple syrup and honey are sweeteners, and that ideally, we should limit our consumption of all forms of sugar.
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Geauga Library Events Programs require registration unless otherwise noted. Visit www.geaugalibrary.net.
GCPL Photography Contest
Call for entry for the 2022 GCPL annual Photography Contest is open now through April 24. Contest is made up of two juried categories: one for teens and another for adults. Juried first, second and third place photographs for each category will be exhibited at the Geauga West Branch. Prizes included. Find guidelines and how to enter on the GCPL website.
A Garfield Family Album
April 22, 2:30 p.m. • Virtual James A. Garfield National Historic Site’s Debbie Weinkamer, presents the story of President and Lucretia Garfield’s families.
Celebrate Earth Day
April 22, 10:30-11 a.m. • Geauga West Youth ages 2-5 will enjoy a story and craft.
Make It, Print It, Keep It
April 23 • Bainbridge Youth in grades 5-12 may stop in anytime from 12-3:30 p.m. to design and make custom soap using the laser engraver.
Maple Fest Book Sale
Chardon April 22, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 23, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 24, 1-4:30 p.m.
Tween Art
April 26, 3:30-5 p.m. • Bainbridge Youth in grades 4-8 will design their own 3D keychain.
Anime Club
April 27, 2-3 p.m. • Middlefield Teens in grades 8-12 will view the first episode of “Your Lie in April” and tour the library’s Manga collection.
Wednesday Wellness
April 27, 7 p.m. • Bainbridge Youth in grades K-3 will focus on the importance of getting outside.
Get a Clue: Join the Drew Crew
April 28, 6-8 p.m. • Geauga West Celebrate Nancy Drew’s birthday with a mystery to solve.
Quilt Block Party
Urban Legend: Where Fact and Fiction Collide
April 23, 10 a.m. to noon Bainbridge & Virtual Join for Color Me Quilt.
April 28, 7 p.m. • Thompson Explore urban legends from around the world and here in Ohio.
Open Sew Saturdays
Teen Thursday
April 23, 12-3 p.m. • Bainbridge Bring a machine and unfinished projects in to work on.
April 28, 3 p.m. • Bainbridge Teens in grades 6-12 will enjoy an after-school Thursday activity.
Meditation Mondays
Jigsaw Puzzle Exchange
NYT Bestseller Book Discussion
Therapeutic Benefits of Pets
April 25, 7 p.m. • Bainbridge & Virtual Create the intention for self-healing.
April 26, 6:30-8 p.m. • Geauga West Discuss “Mary Jane a Novel” by Jessica Anya Blau.
April 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Geauga West Leave some and take some.
April 30, 1 p.m. • Chardon Discuss the positive health effects of pet ownership.
Page 15
Historic Maple Festival Videos Unearthed Rare historical videos of the Geauga Maple Festival have recently been unearthed, and organizers are excited to share them with the public. The Moving Image Research Collections at the University of South Carolina contacted the Chardon Library about a collection of videos donated to them by Elmer Richards, a vocational instructor from Chardon, Ohio who taught at Spring Valley High School in Columbia SC. There was also another video found in the collection of former Chardon Mayor and Maple Festival President Robert Eldridge. The videos include rare footage of the first Maple Festival, as well as other reels showing vintage advertisements and shots of festivals past. The videos, and a livestream of this year’s festival, are available at www.maplefestival.com.
Page 16
Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 21, 2022