Wednesday Weekend Windup {Comic Con, Dinosaurs, Maple Tapping, Virtual Bauhaus and More}

Plenty of weekend fun coming up including maple tapping and syrup events, dinosaur fun, St. Patrick's Day merriment, Comic Cons and more! Here are my picks:

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Coral Woods and Festival of the Sugar Maples

Coral Woods Conservation Area in Marengo, Illinois hosts an annual Festival of the Sugar Maples Event each year. With the glorious weather in the Chicago area, we were able to visit today to explore the preserve and learn about maple sugaring.

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12 Maple Tapping Events in the Chicago Suburbs

Spring is in the air and it is time to tap trees for a maple sugar harvest! We are very lucky to have so many great maple tapping events in the suburbs to help you learn and even participate in this process! Enjoy some of these events this season:

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Wednesday Weekend Windup {Maple Tapping, St. Paddy's Day, Orchids and More!}

More maple syrup fun this weekend and much more! Here are some fun suggestions:

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10 Maple Sugaring Events in the Chicago Suburbs

Maple syrup has long been a sweet part of American culture. The Native Americans were the first to discover the delicious gift of the sugar maples. Plus, Benjamin Franklin advocated for Americans to use maple sugar as a sweetener thereby making us more self-sufficient by decreasing reliance on cane sugar. Each year during maple tapping season, maple sugaring celebrations highlight our favorite pancake topper. Here are 10 in our neck of the woods:

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Maple Sugaring Events in the Chicago Suburbs

Maple tapping image via LollyKnit on Flickr.

With the bitter, bitter cold, it is hard to believe that it is time for maple sugaring but it sure is! Freezing temperatures at night and *hopefully* warm temperatures during the day cause the sap to rise from a maple's roots making it ready for tapping! There really is no better topping for pancakes---or biscuits---or ice cream than sweet and natural maple syrup! So, let's take some time to celebrate maple syrup's sugary goodness!

While we traveled through New England and Quebec last year, we learned that Ben Franklin was a big advocate of expanding maple sugar production in the U.S. to decrease dependency on foreign sugar sources. I had no idea that this was even thought of but it totally makes sense! Maple sugaring events are such a great piece of Americana and fortunately for us there are plenty in the area! Here is a look at some we found:

February 28-March 1

Sap's Rising at River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook: Take a walk in the maple forest as winter is coming to an end and learn about the maple sugaring process. The event runs 1:30PM-2:30PM both days and is free.

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