Wildwood Ranch To Hold Open House of Maple Syrup Operations

ST. JOSEPH -- You and your family can enjoy an unique activity this weekend at Kraemer Lake and Wildwood County Park.

The Wildwood Ranch maple syrup operation is holding an open house Saturday to show you the process of making the sweet treat.

The land and sap collecting has been locally run by the family of Tom and Shelly Carlson for nearly 40 years. Tom says during the event they will offer guided tours and demonstrations of their day to day operations.

"We have four different stations where people can learn about our situation. There is a lot of modern technology in our operations and we're happy to show it."

Sap collecting typically lasts about 45 days and can produce about 400-500 gallons of syrup.

Shelly Carlson says many families are intrigued about the equipment and how it works when they begin the syrup making process.

"You can see our pump stations at work. The sap collected is put into a central location and then gets sucked up through a vacuum to our sugar shack. It's similar to what you may see in a dairy barn."

The event runs from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is free to attend. A lot of the activities will be outdoors so dress appropriately.

Wildwood Ranch is located two miles west of St. Joseph at 29709 Kipper Road.