Sticky, sweet fun as Maple Syrup Festival returns to Bradys Run

BRIGHTON TWP. – Pancake fans and festivalgoers rejoice: The Beaver County Maple Syrup Festival returns April 22-23.

Sidelined the past three years by the pandemic, the Bradys Run Park event has new leadership ― PUSH Beaver County ― restoring the traditions and adding fresh ideas to the family-friendly celebration of Pennsylvania-made syrup, handmade crafts, historical encampments and live music.

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"People are very excited," festival Chairman Regis Collins said. "It's a sign of spring. The first big event that brings people out. They can get together, sit down and enjoy Pennsylvania maple syrup."

Once you've tried that syrup, mostly sourced from southwestern Pennsylvania, you might never settle for mass-produced, supermarket syrup again.

Longtime festivalgoers will notice the event, now called the Beaver County Maple Syrup & Music Festival, will take place several weeks later than traditionally.

PUSH Beaver County officials initially wanted to make sure the festival didn't compete with the opening weekend of trout season, where Bradys Run Lake and its tributary creek are lined with anglers. When the Beaver County Conservation District formerly ran the festival, an overlap with trout season's opener usually meant the maple syrup festival would be bumped up to late March.

"But I thought I want better weather, where we actually don't have to worry about it snowing on people," Collins said. "So, it will be timed around Earth Day (April 22) going forward."

PUSH Beaver County, the nonprofit community group that created and runs the popular Beaver County Boom! fireworks extravaganza each June, took over the syrup festival when the conservation district, and its largely volunteer-led syrup makers, decided after 40 years, it needed to change priorities and could no longer commit the necessary effort.

Even up to a decade ago, the conservation district had shipped in syrup from other parts of Pennsylvania to augment the syrup supply that could be tapped from Bradys Run Park maple trees.

With taps and collection tanks no longer set up at Bradys Run, PUSH Beaver County will get its syrup entirely from other Pennsylvania sites, mainly in the Somerset area.

As always, that syrup will be poured atop fluffy, all-you-can-eat buttermilk and buckwheat pancakes with a side of sausage served in the Bradys Run Lodge wooden cabin.

For the first time, the festival also will offer gluten-free pancakes made on a designated griddle with separate utensils.

"We're trying to make it as inclusive as we can," Collins said.

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As everyone knows, food costs have gone up, so the festival had to adjust its breakfast prices. The general public pays $15; military, first responders and seniors 65 and older pay $12 for the all-you-can-eat pancake meal. Children 12 and under will receive a meal of two pancakes and two sausages with a drink for $10.

As usual, festival admission is free for those who just want to peruse and shop at the crafts tents, check out the Civil War and Mountain Man camp re-enactments, and enjoy the live, local music.

One of the strongest musical lineups for the festival in many years includes award-winning Pittsburgh blues guitarist Pierce Dipner, New Brighton country recording artist Dawn Savage and Ambridge rocker David Granati's two rock academies.

Concert lineup

Saturday, April 22:

8:30 a.m., Chelsea Dawson sings The National Anthem.

8:35 a.m., Better Think Twice

10:30 a.m., The Chad

Noon, Concrete Soul

2 p.m., David Granati's For Those About to Rock Academy (adults first, then the school-age students).

Sunday, April 23:

10 a.m., Pierce Dipner

1 p.m., Dawn Savage

3 p.m., Blue Siren

Next year, the festival hopes to bring back a secondary stage for more music and dance entertainment.

"We're trying to bring the festival back to the way it was," Collins said.

Festival officials are finalizing details on a Kids' Zone with a bounce house, make-and-take crafts and Girl Scout and Boy Scout demonstration tents.

Parking

As in years past, a free shuttle service will transport visitors to the festival site.

Five parking lots, from the Bradys Run Ice Arena west to the Bradys Run Dog Park will be pick-up and drop-off stations.

New this year will be a downloadable QR code people can scan for free into their smartphones to see a map of the parking lots and festival grounds.

Festival hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on both days.

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Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Sticky, sweet fun as Maple Syrup festival returns to Bradys Run Park