'Keep these traditions going': Milestone edition of Maple Fest puts Meyersdale history, culture on display

Apr. 22—MEYERSDALE, Pa. — As Jessica Schumer-Rowles' children Colin and Adelaide picked up hand drills to tap trees Sunday at the Pennsylvania Maple Festival, she said the event was becoming a tradition for their family.

"The kids love coming back here every year," the Scottdale, Westmoreland County, woman said while also exploring the Meyersdale festival park with stepchildren Evie and Logan.

"And they all really like coming back for the spotza, too," Schumer-Rowles said, referring to a treat made by pouring boiled-down maple syrup over shaved ice.

For 77 years, the Pennsylvania Maple Festival has been built on traditions — both new ones made by returning families and older ones built over the course of centuries in Somerset County, organizers said.

Crowds were welcomed to the festival, which started Saturday and will continue from Wednesday through April 28, during a year when Meyersdale itself is marking its 150th anniversary.

But local history has always been at the heart of Maple Fest, festival board directors Bobby Edwards and Madeline Johnson said.

Edwards was standing inside the "Sugar Shack," explaining how maple sap is collected and boiled down into syrup, while Johnson welcomed visitors into the 1785 manor that Meyersdale founder Peter Meyers once called home.

"I think the anniversary is definitely helping this year," Johnson said, sitting inside the original one-room portion of what is today the historic Meyers Homestead.

Live music and a rich blend of food and craft vendors often draw in guests, "but it's so important for us to allow everyone to see how different things used to be, and appreciate the history of Meyersdale," she said.

Meyers helped develop the somewhat scattered village into a flourishing community and transportation hub with a tannery, a gristmill and a post office in the early 1800s.

Festival Park recalls some of that era. It features a blacksmith shop, Civil War reenactors and shops that were filled with historical artifacts.

The park reopens Wednesday through April 28 for the rest of the Maple Festival, which will also continue to feature other yearly traditions, including the Lions Club Pancake House at 215 Main St., and the Maple City Players' dinner- theater production "Legend of the Magic Water" at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Meyersdale Elks Lodge. Both have been part of the weekend for more than 50 years, organizer said.

This year's schedule also includes the grand parade at 1 p.m. Saturday; the 8K and 5K Maple Run/Walk; and live performances by local musicians such as Perry Kamp and J.D. and Cindy Ross, who will perform Saturday, board President Robin Deal said.

"We try to provide a variety of food and music for everyone," she said.

Lisa and Ryan Jones had no problem finding sweet eats. The Greensburg couple sampled hickory-maple BBQ, checked out maple fudge, and were taking a few packs of fresh goat cheese home with them, Ryan Jones said.

"I'm used to a maple festival in Beaver County, where I'm from, but we decided to try this one, and it's really nice," he said. "It's a lot bigger than I imagined it would be."

Edwards often places a full-sized, well-worn wooden barrel next to a small one-gallon bottle to show how much watery sap must be boiled down to make one small container of maple syrup.

He could just as easily be talking about the year-long effort to prepare for Maple Fest.

The Meyersdale area has counted on the festival as an early spring homecoming for generations — but that doesn't mean it's easy to keep it going, Edwards said.

"Most of us are retirees, and it takes time, resources and maintenance for this festival to survive," he said. "We need help to keep it going."

And that help isn't only needed during the festival, he said.

"This whole property needs care throughout the year," Edwards said. "There's a lot involved people don't realize."

He hoped that as people visit the event this week and learn about Somerset County's maple heritage, it would inspire them to lend a hand to ensure future generations can have the same experience.

"We want to keep these traditions going," he said, "but we need the younger generations to give us a hand."