Press Releases from Greater Philadelphia Gardens

515 Painter Road • Media • PA • 19063-44241 www.tylerarboretum.org Contact: Elizabeth Randolph 610-566-9134 ext. 210 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE erandolph@tylerarboretum.org January 2, 2007 PHOTOS AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY UPON REQUEST MEDIA, PA --On Saturday, February 3, 8 am-1 pm, Tyler Arboretum offers a taste of life in the sugarbush with tours and demonstrations of maple syrup production complemented by a hearty pancake breakfast. Admission to the event is $7 for adults, $4 for ages 3-12, and free under age 3. The snow date is February 10. Sugarbush is the old-fashioned term for a grove of sugar maple trees used for maple syrup production. Many people who have read Little House in the Big Woods will remember the excitement of maple sugaring at the Ingalls family homestead in the late 1800s. As winter ended and the sap began to flow, settlers would collect the sap from sugar maple trees then boil it to make syrup and sugar because cane sugar was an expensive luxury. At the same time that the Ingalls family was tapping trees in Wisconsin, the Painter family was probably tapping maple sugar trees that grew on their farm that would eventually become Tyler Arboretum. Participants in Tyler’s Maple Sugaring can experience what it was like for the Painters to make maple syrup and learn about a present-day agricultural commodity. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation for maple syrup production. The sap that flowed out of the state’s 449,000 taps yielded 66,000 gallons of pure maple syrup in 2006. Five sugar maple trees clustered around Lachford Hall, the Painter family’s historic home, form Tyler’s sugarbush. Experts lead maple sugaring tours throughout the morning and demonstrate how to tap trees and collect sap. The tours conclude at the historic Painter Barn where visitors learn how the sap is made into maple syrup. Breakfast is served throughout the morning. The menu features pancakes and sausage, an assortment of beverages, and of course, maple syrup. Tyler Arboretum is on Painter Road near Media, PA, one mile east of Rt. 352. For information, call 610-566-9134 or write to: Tyler Arboretum, 515 Painter Road, Media PA 19063. Complete information is available online at www.tylerarboretum.org. Tyler Arboretum is open daily 9 am-4 pm with extended weekend hours until 5 pm in the winter. The Visitor Center and Gift Shop are open daily. General admission is $5 for adults, $3 for ages 3-15, and free for children under age 3. One of the oldest arboreta in the United States, Tyler Arboretum encompasses 650 acres of renowned plant collections, champion trees, historic buildings, and 20 miles of hiking trails through woodlands, wetlands, and meadows. The Arboretum offers workshops, classes, and tours for adults and children throughout the year. Tyler Arboretum is a nonprofit organization. Proceeds help advance Tyler’s mission to preserve, develop and share our diverse horticultural, historical and natural site resources to stimulate an understanding of the living world. ###