Petting Zoo & Pony Rides

Welcome to the new age in Petting Zoos, where the world’s animals come together in an interactive and educational environment. The young and the young at heart will enjoy petting, feeding & learning about the animals that most have only read about or seen on TV.

Watch the children’s faces light up as they ride a live pony for the first time. Don’t forget your camera as you will want to keep this proud moment for all to see.

The Tiger Paw Exotics petting zoo and pony rides are located beside the arena. While the petting zoo is free, pony rides are $5 per ride.

Pancake Eating Contest 2022

Saturday 10:30
by Roadside Country Diner

$5 entry fee. 20 contestants maximum.

The winner receives a ribbon and a year’s worth of bragging rights.

Rules:

  • There is a separate category for kids
  • Contestants must not touch PANCAKES until the start signal
  • Must consume entire stack of pancakes to be counted
  • 5 contestants at a time will be given a stack of pancakes
  • First to finish their stack wins that round
  • Visible signs of sickness will result in disqualification
  • The first round winners then will have a final round to pick the winner.

Entry Fee: $5:00 per person

All Contestants Enter at their OWN RISK

Registration for this event no later than Saturday at 10:00 in front of the Roadside Country Diner to receive final instructions.

We look forward to seeing you and GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Pancake Eating Contest 2022 Poster

2019 Photos – Pizza and Pancake Eating Contests

2018 Photos

Our Pancake Eating Contest winners, George (Kids Division) and Cole (Adults Division)! All of our participants did great!

2017 Photos

Maple Sugaring at Harlaine’s

2023 marks the 26th year that Harlaine Maple Products has welcomed visitors to its sugar shack as part of the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival. Hundreds of people have visited their farm on Concession 1 south of Sunderland to see how an old-fashioned product is made using the latest in modern technology.

www.HarlaineMaple.ca


Douglas and Gloria Harder purchased the farm in 1954 from Vince Beaton (sons Jack and Jim) who had previously boiled sap at this maple bush, since 1933. Douglas started boiling at his parents maple bush when he was in his early teens, and continued on after purchasing the property. At age 87, Douglas passed away in 2004.

Paul and his Dad tapped around 500 to 600 taps in the 1970’s, all with buckets. In 1984, they put in the first pipeline with approximately 150 taps. The next year, the whole bush was on pipeline. They always had a used evaporator, approximately, 4×8, and boiled in the bush with no hydro until 1991, when a new building was built near the house. Now there is water and hydro for late night boiling. The building includes an evaporation room, a store, a kitchen and a small bottling room. Once this building was erected, we were able to expand and now have approximately 2,500 taps.

In 2011, we finally purchased a new Lapierre Force 5 evaporator. It’s all stainless steel and very efficient. We still fire it with wood, and it can process approximately 250 gallons of sap an hour. On a good year, with many cold nights and warm sunny days, we can make approximately 1700 liters of maple syrup. We also make maple butter and maple sugar candy, for sale along with the popular maple syrup. During the festival years, we have seen over 4,000 people come out to the bush to watch the syrup being made. We have had people involved for the last 18 years of the festival, hosting bush tours, demonstrating maple syrup production, boiling sap in a large kettle as the pioneers did, and showing how the native people boiled sap using a hollowed out log and hot stones from the fire.

Harlaine Maple Products store is open during the festival, plus we have a booth on the main street of Sunderland. In 2012, we hosted the first tapping for the Kawartha Haliburton Maple Syrup Association. We are also members of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association.

Harlaine Maple Products have toured the world and we are proud to be able to produce pure maple syrup: A Canadian tradition. As for recipes, we always enjoy fresh maple syrup on Old Fashioned Johnny Cake, maple syrup pie, maple butter tarts and maple apple crisp. Maple Syrup is also excellent on fruit and with carrots, squash and turnip. Maple syrup is very versatile and can be incorporated into most recipes. I try to hand out a flyer with favourites and I also sell a cookbook of recipes using maple syrup.

REMINDER: Get your bus tickets for a tour of Harlaine Maple Products at Sunderland Public School during the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival!

Book Sale

  • Saturday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
  • Sunday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Sunderland Branch Public Library
41 Albert Street (Sunderland Public School)
Sunderland, ON
705-357-3109



Over twelve years ago, the Friends of the Sunderland Library began a series of fundraising initiatives to help support the local Sunderland Library Branch. Our earliest endeavors included activities such as raffles at the Fall Fair and garage sales on long weekends but ultimately the Book Sale was seen as our greatest success. That sale has now become our main fund raising activity. During the Maple Syrup Festival each year, the FOSLs hold a book sale at the library site on Saturday and Sunday. We have incredible support from a small group and we are very fortunate to have the assistance of local authors and individuals who are active in the book business. Community members also are a major source of books we sell in support of the library. All funds collected, by donation only, are used to support local library activities. Those include both youth and adult programmes , visiting authors, DVDs/ e-Books, receipt machines, magazine subscriptions, and books purchased from local independent book stores. Our most ambitious purchases to date have been the public Wifi system, book shelves, Dungeons & Dragons resources, and musical instruments. Recently, we provided almost half of the funds for a 3D printer.

Lexy the Rap Dad

Through his Friendly Fables Rap-A-Long books, songs & videos ‘Lexy the Rap Dad’ is igniting children’s imaginations and exploring the world around us with fun-filled adventures

Lexy the Rap Dad is a children’s author and rapping dad from Ontario, Canada. The creator of Friendly Fables, a collection of 14 stories and Rap-A-Long songs, is making a name for himself by combining rapping with storytime and it’s fun for the whole family!

It all began when Lexy left the corporate world unexpectedly to care for his infant son who required surgery at The Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto. He created the book series to entertain his own family and found his calling in rapping the stories for others.

Fast forward to today and Lexy is generating buzz among kids and parents for his wildly popular book, songs and YouTube channel. So much so that his 1st and 2nd albums have each reached #1 on the iTunes Children’s Music charts in Canada!

LexyRapDad.com


Garbage Truck Rap – Kids Song About Saving The Environment


DAD DANCE Rap Song For Kids

Maple Syrup Historical Bus Tour

  • Leave Sunderland School Yard
  • Head south on Albert St. to the old Police Station.
  • Presentation on Piggyland by commentator
  • Visitors have a guide with some pictures
  • Head south on 7/12 and turn at left at the Blackwater Store
  • Commentator talks about the Blackwater Junction Railroad Station. Riders have pictures in guide book
  • Go north up Blackwater Rd. to the 4th of Brock and turn right. Head east to sideroad 18 and turn south to the Pinedale Church. Guidebook has pictures
  • Go south to Layton Corners and turn right. Go west to the Wick School or Wick Church. Time here depends on amount of time left
  • Head back to Sunderland

Time 45 minutes to 1 hour

Bus Tours

Harlaine Farms

Historical Bus Tour


Saturday & Sunday – Harlaine Farms and Historical Bus Tour

2023 marks the 26th year that the Sunderland Maple Syrup festival has offered bus tours at an economical price.

This year, tour buses will be visiting Harlaine Maple products and a historical bus tour. Stock Transportation provides the buses and the drivers, and the staff from the CIBC bank in Sunderland take on the responsibility of ticket sales.

CIBC Manager Jodi Buck says, “We love our community and we want to be part of our community.” “We are thrilled that the proceeds all go to the community. We all benefit greatly from the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival and the wonderful work it does.”

“Everyone likes jumping on the bus and going on the tour together,” said Sharon Graham, Charter Coordinator at Stock. “It gives people from out of town a chance to see our community and what it has to offer.” Visitors from as far away as Windsor have joined the thousands of people who take the Stock bus to Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival trip destinations.

Maureen Nicholls, Operations Manager at Stock, pointed out how much the festival has grown over the years. Usually two buses run, but sometimes it is necessary to add more. Local drivers Harry Sarvis, Angela Hubers and Al Simpson have been providing transportation for the Festival every year since it started. Stock has even had a bus driver from Pickering volunteer to participate. “He wanted to be part of it,” said Maureen.

“We have our business in the community and we want to show our support for the festival,” she added. Driver Angela Hubers always looks forward to the Festival. Taking people on the tours “is fun,” she commented.