More than 10,000 pancakes will be flipped and 20 gallons of maple syrup poured on March 23 and 24 when Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center holds its 30^th annual Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast.

The festival celebrates the first harvest of the new year and teaches visitors to Penn State’s nature center about the maple sugaring process, both in colonial times and the present day. Festival-goers 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 and storytelling
• see live birds of prey and reptile shows
• savor all-you-can-eat pancakes and maple syrup!

The festival runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both days.

Admission to the festival and all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, including two organic sausages, costs $5 for members ($3 for ages 6 to 11) and $10 for non-members ($6 for ages 6 to 11). Children 5 and under are free.

For more information about the festival, go to http://www.ShaversCreek.org/pancakes online.

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center has spent decades striving to help people and communities learn to live in harmony with our natural environment. Shaver’s Creek is part of Penn State Outreach, which serves more than 5 million people each year, in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and more than 100 countries worldwide.