AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills celebrated the start of Maine’s maple sugaring season by tapping the Blaine House maple tree on Tuesday in Augusta.
Mills was joined by Amanda Beal, the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and members of the Maine Maple Producers Association.
Mills tapped the tree and let out a 'ta-da' as people clapped.
The annual tradition sets the stage for Maine Maple Sunday and is an opportunity to pay tribute to an industry that is estimated to generate $48.7 million in economic activity and support more than 800 full- and part-time jobs across the state.
Maine’s Somerset County is the largest maple producing county in the country and is home to the third-largest syrup industry in the country.
Maine Maple Sunday, which will be celebrated on March 22, features dozens of Maine maple producers opening their sugar house doors for visitors to learn about Maine maple syrup and how it is made.
Maple Sunday is a free family event with each producer setting their own hours and activities, including sap boiling demonstrations, sugar woods tours, live music, horse-drawn hayrides, maple products for sale, and maple product samples. The full list of participating Maine Maple Producers can be viewed on mainemapleproducers.com.