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Mountain State Maple Days return

Newsroom@DominionPost.com

 Visit Mountaineer Country CVB announced   the Fifth Annual Mountain State Maple Days will be Feb. 20 and March 20, which celebrates West Virginia’s maple syrup industry.

Mountain State Maple Days is coordinated by the West Virginia Maple Syrup Producers Association, a VMCCVB tourism partner. This two-day event was created to recognize the state’s fastest, and sweetest, growing industry with the help of local sugar shacks, businesses and other organizations.

During the event, participating producers and attractions may showcase maple syrup by hosting an educational station, incorporating the product into a menu and more.

“On both Saturdays, guests may enjoy a deliciously entertaining and educational experience on the local production of maple syrup and all maple products,” said WVMSPA President, Keith Heasley. “It is important for the public, in this heavily manufactured and pre-packaged food world, to see and understand how local, natural food is developed and produced.”

Last year’s second date fell at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many unknowns, many sugar shacks had to cancel their March date. This year, equipped with more information regarding how to stay safe, Maple Days will continue as participating locations implement appropriate pandemic practices.

All attendees are asked to learn and abide by event safety standards that each of the Maple Days hosts prescribe. Guests are encouraged to call these businesses in advance to confirm guidelines. This includes event activities taking place outdoors, mask requirements, pre-event safety training for sugar shacks, and opportunities to support owners when event attendance is not possible.

“Rest assured, all participating sugar shacks will be following the best practices for COVID-19 safety during your visit,” Heasley said.

As a destination marketing organization in West Virginia’s Mountaineer Country region, VMCCVB actively seeks out collaborative promotional opportunities and tourism-related initiatives, like Mountain State Maple Days. These sorts of partnerships not only have a positive impact on the tourism industry, but all that are involved in the process.

“Tourism, local businesses, students, producers, and the entire region win when working together to advance a program like Mountain State Maple Days,” said VMCCVB President and CEO, Susan Riddle. “We need champions for initiatives like these in order to drive the tourism economy together.”

For more information on WVMSPA and Mountain State Maple Days registration, visit WVMSPA.org. For more event information, visit VisitMountaineerCountry.com/Events.

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