Sweet aromas will waft through the Catoctin Mountain air as Cunningham Falls State Park hosts its 48th Annual Maple Syrup Making Demonstrations March 10-11 and 17-18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festivities will take place in the William Houck Area, located at 14039 Catoctin Hollow Road in Thurmont.

Maryland Park Service rangers and volunteers will demonstrate the traditional way to craft this sweet concoction, as it has been done in North American forests since before the arrival of European settlers.

Attendees are welcome to relax on a hayride and watch as sap is collected. Visitors are also invited to enjoy a hot pancake breakfast (additional cost for breakfast), join in children’s activities, and listen to live bluegrass and folk music in a large, heated tent.

New this year, the festival will feature a Maple Sap Fun Run March 17 as part of the department’s Healthy Parks, Healthy People initiative. Participants of all ages can participate in a noncompetitive 1.5-mile fun run/walk along a scenic roadway that showcases the park’s sap-producing maple trees. Weather permitting, kick off will be at 9:30 a.m. in the South Beach parking lot.

A donation of $3 per person or $2 per person for youth groups is requested to attend the festival.