It’s a sure sign of spring – the annual Maple Syrup Festival is on in Alvinston next weekend.

The A.W. Campbell Maple Syrup Festival will be held March 19 and 20 from 10 am to 3 pm at the conservation area. Staff members will be on hand to show how important maple syrup was to the First Nations people and pioneers. Visitors will also get a chance to see how trees are tapped.

The event will be different than past years as the conservation authority recently tore down the sugar shack which had been the cornerstone of the event for decades. It was declared unsafe. The foundation board is working to rebuild it, however this year; the staff won’t be able to demonstrate the way syrup is now made.

If the weather cooperates with cold frosty nights and bright sunny days, officials say residents might get a chance to taste sap straight from the tree.

But the real taste testing will be at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Arena where the Alvinston Firefighters Association holds its annual Pancake House.

Firefighters will be serving up pancakes and sausages with lots of maple syrup from 9am to 3pm each day at the arena.