Maine Maple Sunday at Merrifield Farm

You knew you were getting close before you even saw the farm.

Cars were already lined up on the side of the road, and people were walking in from all over. We got lucky and parked near a small intersection, which ended up mattering later when it was time to leave.

It’s one of those places where the parking is part of the experience, whether you want it to be or not.

When we got up to the farm, it already felt like Maine Maple Sunday.

People were spread out all over, lines were going, kids were moving around, and you could see steam coming off the sugar house. It was cold, but not miserable. Light jacket kind of cold. No real wind either, which made it one of those perfect late morning Maine days.

Tiffany and the kids jumped in line for coffee and donuts while I walked around with the camera.

The line was not short. None of the lines really were. But nobody seemed bothered by it. Everybody was calm, smiling, and just happy to be there.

That was one of the things that stood out most. It was busy, but it never felt rushed.

While they waited in the coffee line, I noticed the line for the maple ice cream was a little more manageable, so I jumped in and grabbed two for the kids.

So before we even got our coffee, we were already eating maple ice cream.

Honestly, not a bad way to start the day.

That’s part of why this place works so well for families.

Kids had the playground, people were walking around with coffee and donuts, and nobody had to force the day into being fun. It just kind of was.

One of the best parts to walk over to was the big pots of maple syrup boiling over open fires.

Steam rolling up, fire underneath, that maple smell sitting in the air. It wasn’t loud. It was actually pretty calm. You just stood there and watched it for a minute.

That’s the kind of thing that makes you slow down without really meaning to.

After that, we made our way over to the blacksmith demonstration.

Another one of those easy stops where people just stood around and watched for a bit before moving on to the next thing.

Nothing fancy about it. Just part of the day.

They also had live music going while all of this was happening, which added a lot to the feel of the place.

It wasn’t taking over the day. It just sat in the background and made the whole place feel even better.

Between the music, the steam from the sugar house, kids playing, and everybody just moving from line to line, it had a really good energy to it.

Eventually we got in line to go through the sugar house.

That’s one of the things everybody does every year. You wait your turn, move through, see the vat giving off steam, and then make your way through the building.

Again, calm. Not loud. Just a steady line of people moving through one of the main parts of the day.

Inside, it was really just that vat of maple syrup giving off steam and everybody working their way past it.

It doesn’t need more than that.

That’s the draw.

And then you get the ribbon.

That’s a big part of it for us. They do a different color every year, and we always make sure to get one. It’s one of those small traditions that probably sounds silly if you’ve never been there, but if you go every year, you get it.

You want your ribbon.

Once you pass through the sugar house, you end up right in the store.

That part works out pretty well because by then you’ve watched the syrup steaming, waited in line, and now you’re standing in a room full of maple syrup, treats, and all the other stuff you probably didn’t plan on buying.

So of course we bought some.

There were shelves full of syrup in all different sizes and bottles, plus all the extra maple things that somehow make sense once you’re standing there.

You go in thinking maybe you’ll just grab one thing.

That usually doesn’t happen.

We brought home a maple whoopie pie.

And a bag of sweet and spicy maple glazed peanuts.

And a box of maple tea.

And maple syrup, obviously.

Also a maple cinnamon roll, because at that point it would have been weird not to.

After the sugar house and the store, we walked over to check out the livestock and watched some people doing the hayride.

We’ve done the hayride in years past and skipped it this time, but it’s still one of those things that helps make the whole place feel like more than just a quick stop to buy syrup.

By the time we headed back out, the road was a mess in the way it always is.

People trying to park, people trying to leave, one lane basically taken over by parked cars and people walking. It gets a little wild.

The only reason we got out fairly quickly was because we’d parked near that small intersection and a cop let us back out that way. Otherwise we would’ve been stuck waiting through the whole line of traffic.

Maine Maple Sunday at Merrifield Farm is one of those things that’s a little annoying to get in and out of, a little muddy, usually crowded, and still absolutely worth doing.

The lines are part of it. The ribbon is part of it. Going through the sugar house is part of it. So is standing around with coffee, watching steam rise, and letting the kids run around while live music plays somewhere in the background.

It only comes around once a year.

And somehow that makes everybody a little happier to be there.