CNY Maple Festival – Drive-Thru Maple Festival

Marathon, NY

It is going to happen!! The home of the CNY Maple Festival, Marathon, NY, has celebrated the coming of spring for the past 49 years. The tragic Covid 19 virus pandemic, which robbed everyone of normalcy, robbed Marathon of the Golden Anniversary celebration for the CNY Maple Festival 2020. Golden plans included a return of all the Maple Festival Queens, a tribute to the volunteer Founders of the Festival, a pictorial history of past Festivals and much more.  

Because the environment today is still much like it was when the 2020 Festival was cancelled, volunteers desirous of keeping the Maple Festival’s tradition alive have come up with a plan to do just that! A “Drive -Thru Maple Festival”! 

On April 10th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. maple products and Maple Festival Food will be marketed to the vehicles, carrying families and friends who want to experience a bit of Marathon’s Maple Festival. Signage throughout the Village will direct Festival-goers to Appleby Elementary School’s curbside where vendors will cheerfully share their goodies.  

The first items at curbside are maple products and maple cotton candy! Syrup will be in gallons, 1/2 gallons, quarts, pints and lollipops, candy maple leafs and cream. The Junior Class will feature apple dumplings with ice cream and hot dogs;  the Senior Class will sell spiedie sandwiches, french fries and drinks; the Freshman Class will have The Peanut Man and fried: onion, mac & cheese and pickles;  Sophomores will sell funnel cakes and fried oreos. Purchases will be delivered to vehicles. 

On Main Street, the Methodist Church features barbecued chicken halves and the 4-H Club “The Maple Sugars” will be offering their maple sundae. 

Maple Festival Chairwoman, Paige Parker said “We are calling this drive-thru adventure “49 and Holding, A Maple Festival Extravaganza Experience”. We expect to have a real 50th CNY Maple Festival celebration in 2022. We are holding on, letting people know that in Marathon it is our tradition to celebrate the coming of spring by tapping maple trees, boiling sap and making one of nature’s sweetest gifts.”