|
Festival had humble beginnings
BY ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITER
 | | Gov. Mills Godwin attended the festival in 1975. As his helicopter landed at Highland High School, Godwin was greeted by Mrs. Jean Sullenberger (left), president of the Highland chamber, and S.J. Conn (right), festival chairman. (Recorder file photo) |
|
MONTEREY - What began as a simple inquiry about the relatively inexpensive maple syrup from Highland County 50 years ago has blossomed into this area's biggest, most important annual event.
It all started with a conversation.
Dr. Thaine Billingsley, Highland County's longtime physician, heard about a maple festival in Ohio from a salesman who called on him. Billingsley happened to be the president of the board at the Highland County Chamber of Commerce, and mentioned the idea to his fellow board members. (See inside The Recorder's spring guide, this issue, for the details.)
Billingsley retired to Harrisonburg about five years ago, but remembers the festival's beginnings clearly. "To me, it doesn't seem that long ago at all," he said Wednesday.
He and his son, Gary, plan to visit this Friday. Sunnyside retirement community, where he makes his home, has organized a bus tour for its residents. Billingsley will drive over, and tour Mike Puffenbarger's sugar orchard and the Maple Museum, which he helped open many years ago.
 | | At far left, Dr. Thaine Billingsley takes a turn at the griddle for pancakes as Lou Smith looks on. Fifty years ago, Billingsley was the chamber board president when he raised the idea for a Highland Maple Festival. Today, Billingsley resides in Harrisonburg with his wife, Anita, and son, Gary. They still come to the festival nearly every year. (Recorder file photos) |
|
Once the idea for the festival was hatched at the chamber, a small open house was held in 1959. The Recorder's March 5 article on the event noted 600 people attended the demonstration at George P. Hevener's maple sugar camp.
From that one gathering, the festival grew by the thousands over the years. Today, over the course of two festival weekends each March, as many as 70,000 visitors make the trek over the mountains into Highland. They tour the sugar camps to learn the variety of processes used to make
 | | Former Highland school principal John B. Reynolds of Monterey is shown cooking buckwheat cakes at the Highland Maple Festival in 1967. It was noted some "8,000 visitors crowded festival facilities" that year. |
|
the sweet syrup, eat everything from pancakes to trout, patronize more than 100 vendors with arts and crafts, and get a real taste of this rural community.
The event serves as an important annual fund-raiser for every civic club, church, and non-profit group that sets up a booth to sell food or other items to tourists. These organizations rely on festival revenue for a large chunk of the money they use year-round to support volunteer efforts, issue student scholarships, and other good deeds.
Billingsley declines to take much credit for getting it all off the ground. "It just kind of fell in my lap," he says. "The idea wasn't original with me, but it came at a time when (Highland) needed it.
"It certainly worked out," he laughed. "There was some question in my mind then, that people might come a year or two but not return. But they just keep coming and coming I think it's the food that brings them back every year.
"The festival now is too big, but there's nothing you can do about that. I suppose it's cause for rejoicing because it brings business into the county during a quiet time here É It wouldn't be at all possible with out the volunteers."
The following are excerpts from news accounts collected by the chamber. They give a little background about the festival's history and the way it evolved over the last 50 years.
• March 5, 1959, The Recorder reports an open house held at George P. Hevener's sugar camp with 600 attending. This would mark the initial "festival" organized by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce. It would get its official name, Highland County Maple Syrup Festival," the following year, in 1960. That was also the first and only festival ever canceled due to bad weather - 15- foot snow drifts in the area.
• On March 9, 1961, The Recorder reported, "Several producers of the succulent maple products met with members of the chamber of commerce to plan the project and all were in agreement that a good freeze would probably give them a good year É Many old sugar making implements will be placed on display at Monterey Hotel (now The Highland Inn) and a weaving display is planned for the chamber's weaving shop. Tentative plans are being explored for other attractions such as pancake suppers and a booth to furnish visitors with syrup for stirring and clinkers." This was also the first year the Monterey Lions Club served its buckwheat pancakes.
• March 22, 1962, The Recorder said the festival organization was improving. "Enthusiasm has been higher among the maple producers this year, primarily because of the success of the festival last year É Facilities were expanded in Monterey this year and it is felt that with minor adjustments and variations from year to year, that the festival will grow into a leading attraction for this part of the state." Food was served at the hotel and the school cafeteria that year (by the Monterey Lions Club, and Stonewall and Bolar Ruritan clubs). Both the Mill Gap Ruritans and the Business and Professional Women's club also served food that year.
The March 29, 1962 Recorder reported, "The newest invention of the festival, the maple-flavored doughnut, was a big seller with the Mill Gap Ruritan club members unable to keep up with the demand. A club spokesman estimated that around 7,000 of the doughnuts were sold during both weekends, which taxed the facilities. If the club had been able to keep up, that figure could probably have been doubled." This was also the first year the festival was held over two weekends and a square dance was held. A later Recorder article on the festival's history notes 1962 saw about 14,000 visitors, and "the visitor county crew steadily over the next eight years until it reached 40,000-50,000 in 1972 É Ironically, the years with the highest estimated attendance were also the years that the least sugar/syrup was produced."
• In the Daily News Record, Harrisonburg, March 18, 1963, Mrs. Lohr Vance reports 200 visitors to the Vance camp in one day; all the family's syrup was sold. They spent 12 hours cooking 150 gallons of sap, yielding four gallons of syrup. "People wonder why maple syrup is so high (in price), and that is it," said Mr. Vance in the article. The Recorder, March 28, 1963, reports, "É it seems pretty certain that there were twice the people here as there were last year when the count was placed at 6,500 for both weekends. This year's estimate is being placed by chamber of commerce officials at 13,000-14,000." This year marked the fifth annual festival. Attendance had grown nearly tenfold.
• In 1964, Allegheny Mountain trout is added to the menus; the Maple Restaurant opened its doors; Phyllis Hise was crowned the first Maple Queen; and the first queen's ball takes place. The sixth festival, according to the March 19 Recorder that year, had lowered attendance due to weather. "Most observers place the two-day visitor total around 3,000, less than half of last year's first weekend estimate.
• In 1965, it was the first and only time the festival took place over three weekends. Bad weather caused a cancellation the second weekend, but someone forgot to tell the tourists, who came anyway, and the following third weekend as well.
• Roanoke Times, March 13, 1966, notes the previous year's syrup yield was 8,000 gallons on 30 some farms, selling at $6-$8 per gallon for a total county revenue of $60,000. Once again, the Vance camp played a prominent role for the article. "But it isn't only the syrup that people come to see," it states. "They come to see a way of life which, in the cities, is almost beyond imagination. Mrs. Vance, for example, a former nurse in Cincinnati Ohio, now rarely goes to town - any town - and has no desire to go. 'We raise and cure or can just about everything we need. We go get flour and salt about once a monthÉ sometimes not even that often. My husband's people have lived here four generations, producing all their own needs, and we do almost as well. We never have to take a sleeping pill or tranquilizer, either.'"
• The Recorder, March 20, 1969, noted chamber officials were more than pleasantly surprised by the attendance, "the heaviest turnout in 10 years on Saturday É and automobile licenses from many states were part of the procession.
"This season of 1969 has not been a good one for the syrup makers and the county sugar camps didn't have enough of the forest products to go around. This situation is expected to be relieved largely, however, since the sugar maples began to drop their sweet in abundance with the warming trend on Sunday."
• By 1970, five sugar camps were on the tour. In 1972, Virginia's governor attends. And by 1973, country and western music shows were added.
• The Recorder, April 1, 1976 headline read, "Record Festival Attendance." The total number of visitors for both weekends of the 18th festival was estimated at 70,000. "As usual, there were no incidents or serious accidents É and out of town visitors seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly, sometimes standing in line without complaint for half an hour or more for a maple doughnut or a pancake dinner É Nostalgia marked this festival perhaps more than other festivals in past years, with many of the Highland ladies dressed in colonial costumes made especially for this Bicentennial year," the article said.
• The Richmond News Leader, March 8, 1978, describes Mrs. Alice Vance's 40-page cookbook, "Sugaring Off on the Bullpasture," with recipes for some of her maple favorites. And the article described the 20th festival saying, "Three Highland County maple camps in the valleys of Virginia's Switzerland will be open to visitors É A trout hatchery that stocks many Old Dominion streams will also be part of the tour. Weavers, potters and painters at work will be another point of interest. At the Highland Craft Shop in Monterey, they will be demonstrating their crafts. Woolen goods in the making will be the focal point next door at Highland Wools." The newspaper also spoke to Melvin R. Puffenbarger, who said, "See this here piece," pointing to one of two split maple logs from a woodpile behind his son's home. "This one was tapped during the new moon. You can tell because the scar healed over when the tree grew. This one was tapped during an old moon and never did heal." Puffenbarger, the article said, has been sugaring off maple tress most of his 63 years "and said this was only the second time he recalls that there was not enough of a February thaw to bring in sugar water."
• In 1979, "Tol'able David," a silent film made in Blue Grass, was shown for the first time during the festival.
• In 1983, the Maple Museum on U.S. 220 opened to the public during festival weekends.
• The Recorder, March 20, 1986: Nancy Malcolm, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Malcolm, was named maple queen. The first festival weekend drew about 25,000 visitors. "About 1,100 dinners were sold over the weekend at Highland High School, 750 of which were trout. 'We were so busy on Sunday we couldn't keep up,' says senior class sponsor Adaline Saunders. The entire school, students, teachers, and parents, participated in the event and the proceeds go to the senior and junior class treasuries," the article states.
• In 1989, despite torrential rain, crowds were the largest ever, with an estimated 70,000 visitors.
• News & Daily Advance, March 18, 1990: Ivan Puffenbarger reports production down 50 percent due to a tempermental winter. "Slow production, however, did not stifle the 31st annual maple festival, which was alive in town as a throng of 20,000 wound its way up and down Main Street while eating ham biscuits, barbecue chicken and maple candy É Vendor Patricia Cole of Leesburg said she sold most of her wares É 'I think all the local people came out for the festival plus you have your busloads from Richmond, Baltimore and Washington. I've never seen it like this. I'm doing great.'"
The Harrisonburg newspaper that year also mentioned Highland's 32nd festival. "Those attending É this weekend and next are advised to come well-equipped with a healthy appetite and no aversion to having a foot-stomping good time. More than 60,000 people are expected É Four local sugar camps will open their doors."
• The Recorder's March 3, 1995 edition contained a special section on the festival, a tradition started under publisher Lea Campbell in 1990. Then-reporter Sandy Hevener interviewed Mary Beverage for this year's section when she was making maple candy. "The old way was a whole lot harder than how we do it now," Beverage had said. "The other way was hard because you had to try the syrup in water and make a clinker to see if it was ready." The article explained, "Although many families still make syrup in Highland County, 50 years ago almost all did. White sugar was expensive and the annual sugar production provided a major source of sweetener for most families. Often today when asked if they like maple sugar, some of these people will shake their heads. As kids they had maple flavored apple sauce, maple flavored coffee, maple flavored cakes and pies - everything was maple flavored and they claim they got tired of it." Marie Rexrode of Hightown was quoted saying, "I don't care for it all at all. Never did. It seems to disagree with me. Kenton eats it on hot cakes. He just lets them swim in (syrup) but I never did care for it."
• March 1, 1996 Recorder commentary included, "In the days before the festival, as buildings roll down the roads on wheels to be put in place as vendor booths, the greet called out to acquaintances was, 'Where're you working this weekend?' The answer came back in multiple stages. 'This weekend on Saturday and Sunday I'll be at the high school. Next weekend I'm helping the Lions club.' Or, 'I'll be at the elementary school on Saturday and the Girl Scout both on Sunday.' The Highland Maple Festival is hard work. The volunteers who so generously give their time know that. And they know that six or eight hours of their time can mean thousands of dollars for their community."
• March 13, 1998, The Recorder interviews Sidney "June" Lowry Jr., who had been making syrup for 60 years. "When Lowry started É sugar water was gathered in barrels carried by a horse-drawn sled. The sled's wide runners were designed to travel over bare ground or snow, and featured yokes to accommodate the barrels." But by this time, Lowry was using plastic tubing on the trees. "It makes it so much easier when you can go to one location. It saves all the labor of going to every tree and emptying buckets," he said then. And when the water's on the fire, "Pat gets up at night three times to put wood under it É We aim to keep it boiling continuously from first fire until the time we take it off so it doesn't have time to cool and have to be reheated. That will make your syrup a little darker." That year, Lowry reported making syrup earlier, in January. "If we had opened trees in December they could have run some," he said. "This has been a most unusual season. Their biological time clocks just got set up a month or so ahead of time."
• From the Recorder, March 16, 2000: "Watching traffic is always nothing short of free entertainment. Tourists look in wild-eyed wonder for a place to park. Then they try to squeeze into that less-than-perfect spot they have finally identified after perusing the town limits for two hours. Typically, the spot is two miles away from where they want to be. These observations usually spark conversation. 'I don't know if he's going to make it in there.' 'Yes, he is.' 'I don't know; it's an awful tight fit.' 'He can make it. He's got plenty of room.' 'He got in there but I don't know how he will get out.' However, this weekend there seemed to be plenty of people around the county, but traffic and parking did not seem as congested as in previous years."
• On Feb. 20, 2002, maple syrup hits the cover of the Washington Post food section with the headline, "Sticky business." Syrupmaker Mike Puffenbarger is interviewed. "We'd like to encourage plantings of sugar maples so the next generation has something there to use." The article added, "He's been in competition for the trees, he said, with sugarmakers farther north whose orchards were damaged in a 1998 iced storm É Puffenbarger is a proponent of sugarmaking in Virginia. 'It's probably one of the only states in the union where we can raise extra large Virginia peanuts on one side of the state and maple syrup on the other. And then we coat the peanuts with maple sugar.' He admitted, though, that this winder's fickle weather probably will affect his yield."
• The March 25, 2005 Recorder noted, "Visitors come to the festival in search of something that will make the journey worthwhile. Some come for one thing, like maple syrup, and leave with something more, like a fish sandwich, a new friend, or an enduring memory. A woman from Harrisonburg says, 'We brought every grandchild over to feed the fish. We've got a bunch of orders for doughnuts, too. We've been coming here since our children were young."
Today, much remains the same about the Maple Festival here as it was in the beginning. Residents and organizers are concerned, though, about how it will keep going. It has become increasingly expensive for Highland's small chamber of commerce. The number of maple syrup producers is dwindling, with only five or six camps now open to the public each year. And the volunteers behind the scenes who divvy up meals and keep the clubs and churches in business are aging, with fewer in the younger generations to take up the hard work in the booths. That said, Highlanders are a resilient bunch, and it's likely that with some ingenuity, the festival will continue on, adding new vendors and attractions over time. Maybe even a bigger parking lot.
The festival, while integral to this county's economy, is also a well-loved event. So much so that many visitors return every year. The times may have changed, but the fun of being here at the edge of springtime in the mountains, is especially sweet this time of year.
|
)
)
)