Geauga County Maple Festival comes to a close in Chardon

The Hilltopper Graveyard, two-time champions of The Geauga County Maple Festival Bathtub Races, race to the finish line April 29 during the 89th annual event. Seated is Jesse Smith, who is being pulled by Shane Quin, left, and Andrew Pikus, right. All three are former Chardon High School football players. The team came in fourth place this year.
The Hilltopper Graveyard, two-time champions of The Geauga County Maple Festival Bathtub Races, race to the finish line April 29 during the 89th annual event. Seated is Jesse Smith, who is being pulled by Shane Quin, left, and Andrew Pikus, right. All three are former Chardon High School football players. The team came in fourth place this year. Tracey Read — The News-Herald

By Tracey Read, The News-Herald

For 89 years, the Geauga County Maple Festival has celebrated past, present and future producers of the sweet and sticky syrup.

The four-day festival on Chardon Square wrapped up April 29 with activities befitting the county’s honor as the No. 1 ranked maple syrup producer in Ohio.

In addition to amusement park rides, crafts and a variety of food concessions, this year’s activities stressed the unique history of the event, which is believed to be the nation’s longest-running maple syrup festival.

Past producer Jerry Tvergyak has showcased a maple historical display for 14 years, which highlights how far maple sugaring has come since the primitive days of placing fire-heated rocks in a hollowed-out log to boil contained sap.

“I want to educate and introduce people to the history of how the festival started and how maple sugaring came about,” he said.

Another highlight of the festival was the annual bathtub race, in which various teams compete to see whose tub on wheels is the fastest.

Two-time champion The Hilltopper Graveyard was a crowd favorite despite coming in 4th place this time.

“We’re all just a bunch of washed up football players,” joked team member Andrew Pikus, a 2016 Chardon High School graduate. “We won the last two years, but this wasn’t our year.”

Teammate Jesse Smith, a 2017 Chardon High School graduate, said the trick to bathtub racing is in the turn.

“If you slow down too much coming around the cone, you can’t carry your momentum,” said Smith.

Other festival attractions included live bluegrass music, Pancakes in the Park, a lumberjack competition, kiddie tractor pull, pizza eating contest, tug `o war, beard and mustache contest and five-mile sap run.

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