The Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival

The little village of Shepherd, in the southern part of the county, calls itself “the sweetest little town anywhere around” — and for good reason. Since 1958, Shepherd has hosted the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, a beloved spring tradition that started as a simple community pancake breakfast with locally tapped syrup and has grown into a long-weekend event drawing tens of thousands of visitors.

Held every year on the last full weekend in April, it’s a true small-town festival: all-you-can-eat pancake-and-sausage meals, a parade, a carnival, a 5K, helicopter rides, and a royalty pageant. It’s run entirely by volunteers, and the proceeds (through the nonprofit Shepherd Sugar Bush) go right back into the village’s parks and community.

If you’re moving to the Shepherd area, this is the weekend the whole town turns out. Details and dates are at shepherdmaplesyrupfest.org.