Festival Entertainment – Presented by Al Beardsall & Dan Clement
Variety Night Show Friday, April 28th – 6:30 pm EDHS Gym
The Main Stage: Saturday:
10:00 a.m. Springwater Cloggers
11:00 a.m. EDHS All Stars with Jesse Muldoon
12 noon Opening Ceremony
Introduction of dignitaries
Log-sawing contest
Firefighters’ & Community Challenge
Pancake-eating contests
1:30 p.m. The Mugs Band
2:30 p.m. Dusty Roads Band
3:30 p.m. The Mugs Band – *Please note: subject to change
In the Pancake House: Saturday – 9:00 a.m. – North of 50 with Al Beardsall, Rick Patenaud, Louis & Nicole Lefaive
10:30 a.m. – Even Steven
12 noon – North of 50
1:00 p.m. – Even Steven
2:00 p.m. – North of 50
Variety Night Show
Musical director Jesse Muldoon is pleased to present his incredibly talented group of students and guests at the EDHS Variety Night. Doors open at 6:30 pm for the Student Exchange Silent Auction. Concert runs from 7-9 pm.
Pancake House – Serving Breakfast 8 am – 3 pm. Adults $10 Kids, under 12 $5. While you enjoy your delious meal, you will be entertained by a selection of musicians.
Log Sawing Contest – The Fastest Slice – One of the many must-see events at the Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival is the log-sawing contest, which takes place on our main stage shortly after noon. Local dignitaries and politicians from nearby municipalities pair up to participate in this exciting competition.
The pine log, donated by Robert Ritchie Forest Products, is set up on stage and our referee, Doug Kirton, hands over his 52” crosscut saw, which has been oiled and sharpened to produce the best result possible. The stop watch is set to go, and is in the capable hands of our official timer.
After a brief practice run, the order to ‘go’ is given and the contestants work in unison to remove a section of the log in the shortest time. This task tests even the hardiest of competitors and is a completely different experience from their daily routine. It is much harder than it looks, and anticipating your partner’s moves is definitely an asset.
The winning teams are rewarded with their names on our trophy, bottles of delicious maple syrup and bragging rights until the next year.
Pancake Eating Contest
The Annual Firefighters Challenge & Group Challenge. This will be our 22nd annual EMSF worldwide pancake eating contest. There are now 2 divisions in this world renowned contest.
Six local firefighters will compete in their division. This is our second year with a separate division featuring 6 community groups participating. Will Marshall Insurance will be sponsoring this year’s contest once again.
This event would not be successful without the support of the Elmvale Firefighters and our sponsors. Watch for this main attraction on the big stage following the Log Sawing Contest.
Midway At Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival … The Children Shout Out A Cheer!
Apr. 25, 2023 – Apr. 25, 2023 – The midway is coming back to Elmvale during the Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival (EMSF)! Head over to the Elmvale Arena on Saturday to catch the fun.
Georgian Triangle Amusements, serving Collingwood and surrounding areas, heard that the midway was cancelled, so a last-minute phone call from its owner, William Gordon, made it happen. Gordon told Springwater News that he is not charging EMSF for this and that they are focusing on serving local events. Georgian Triangle Amusements is a family owned and operated business for 30+ years, based out of the Collingwood Area. They offer many different services from midway rides and games, a lemonade stand, to a magician. This is a prime example of how businesses support the community through the EMSF.
After the pandemic shut everything down, they decided it was time to go back to the basics.
“Our new vision was simple. Not only our industry but our community suffered greatly from being cooped up inside and missing the person-to-person interaction that we honestly need as a society,” Gordon said.
Springwater News fully supports the Elmvale Maple Syrup Committee, especially given all the challenges it has faced this year. I have dedicated two full centre pages (pages 12 & 13) to EMSF. They had some tough decisions to make. The pandemic took a toll on the budget and restricted some of the regular traditions, like shutting down main street. When someone complains about the changes in the festival operations, I simply respond by asking how many hours of volunteering they contributed or how much they spent in the digest?
The mission of the EMSF is to give funds back to community and non-profits. The festival is volunteer run. Businesses do benefit from the draw to Elmvale that this festival brings. It is great
to know that the midway tradition continues with support of local business. Thank you to those businesses and volunteers that have contributed to the getting the festival up and running this year
By Linda Belcourt, Editor