Preparations underway for Camp Tuscazoar Maple Days breakfast
Evan Lockhart, left, of Waynesburg and Simon Rankin of New Philadelphia enjoyed helping clear the lines.
Loppers, machetes and hand saws were the tools of choice recently as volunteers gathered at Camp Tuscazoar to clear brush, debris and small saplings from the maple sap vacuum lines that snake around the hillside closest to the sugar shack.
Many of the volunteers were families that are involved with the Tuscazoar composite mountain biking team for middle school and high school mountain bikers. Others saw the cleanup announced online and wanted to help “keep the spirit burning” at the 800-acre Camp Tuscazoar.
The cleanup is one of the first events held each year just prior to the production of maple syrup at the camp. It’s an important step as the lines must be checked daily during the production to ensure there are no leaks.
Camp Tuscazoar Director Jim Wright of Columbia Station oversaw the work and provided lunch for the volunteers afterward.
“They’re getting little saplings and brush that are within 3 or 4 feet from the maple lines, which allows us to inspect them daily. This way they’re not trampling through brush and whatnot,” Wright said. “When they want to run the vacuum, the smallest little leak will mess up the whole system, so that’s why they do it daily.”
Breaks in the lines also can be detected by looking at the gauges at the sugar shack to see if they have changed.
The blue lines that collect the maple syrup stay up year round.
“We pull the tabs after the season is done with, and then they’re just capped off. They stay there until next year, and then we replace the tabs in the lead line and flush out the lines prior to use,” Wright said.
Though the cleanup was the first outward sign the annual Camp Tuscazoar Maple Days breakfast is in progress, volunteer Nancy Schoenbaum started working in December to get the event organized. The breakfast has been an annual event at the camp since 2006.
This year’s breakfast will be held Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, eggs, sausage, applesauce, orange drink and old-fashioned maple syrup. Maple syrup also will be available for sale.
The breakfast isn’t just something Camp Tuscazoar supporters look forward to. It’s also on the statewide Ohio Maple Madness Tour, organized by the Ohio Maple Producers.
Schoenbaum orders tickets, gets advertising printed and orders the limousine golf carts that are needed to transport breakfast patrons from the parking lot to Kimble Hall, which is heated.
“There’s a lot of phone calls and details that have to get worked out ahead of time,” Schoenbaum said.
Schoenbaum credits the volunteers who work the two days of the event for helping with everything from parking, cooking and serving to cleanup.
The group received a grant from Rural Action last year for compostable materials, like food boxes, to make the event greener and reduce trash.
“This year we’re still trying to stay green. We’re not going to do the to-go boxes for everybody this year because I think people are ready to come back and eat in the dining hall,” Schoenbaum said, adding to-go boxes will still be available.
Tickets are available for sale at https://givebutter.com/MapleDays. Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children age 10 and under. Ticket prices at the door are $12 for adults and $6 for children age 10 and under.
“Last year we had almost 1,400 people over two days, which was terrific for us,” Schoenbaum said. “We now have 800 acres, so every dime that we make goes right back into the camp. We’re all volunteers, and this is an all-volunteer organization.”
Some improvements include three new metal roofs last year on various buildings around the camp, and work is still in progress for a new parking area for horse trailers.
Although donations are always accepted, the camp is open to the public free of charge for hiking, biking, horseback riding and exploring. Visitors just need to sign in at the kiosk near the parking lot when they enter and sign out when they leave.
Other amenities are available for a charge.
“Everything’s rentable here,” Schoenbaum said. “We have cabins, we have tent sites and we have an RV park.”
At more than 100 years old, Camp Tuscazoar was originally a Boy Scout camp. It is now owned and operated by the nonprofit Camp Tuscazoar Foundation. The property is open to the public, although many Scouts and other youth groups still spend much time there.
“I’ve been to quite a few camps, and this one is very unique because of the way that they run it. It’s very well done. You see the people that are involved have a passion for the camp. They donate their time and effort, and that really sets it apart,” said Zeek McGalla, Scout master of Troop 3 of Steubenville, who was camping for the weekend.
For a current schedule of upcoming 2023 events, visit www.tuscazoar.org.