Mainers turn out at sugar houses for Maine Maple Sunday

PORTLAND, Maine—Thousands of Mainers poured native maple syrup on pancakes and over ice cream as dozens of sugar houses opened their doors to the public for Maine Maple Sunday.

The annual event is a celebration of Maine's maple syrup industry, when syrup makers around the state welcome the public to view the syrup-making process and taste a sample or two. Maine is the No. 2 syrup producer in the country, behind Vermont.

The event always falls on the fourth Sunday in March. With Easter falling on the same day this year, many sugar houses opened to the public on Saturday or didn't open at all.

Still, dozens of others were open for pancake breakfasts, wagon rides and demonstrations on how maple syrup is made.

Maine's sugar houses are hoping for a rebound from the poor showing in 2007, when production fell to 225,000 gallons, a decline of 25 percent from 2006 and the worst output in six years.

While production has fallen, demand has risen, said Maine Maple Producers Association President Michael Smith, who runs Mike's Maple House in Winthrop.

This year, most syrup makers are seeing a late start to season when they put their taps -- more than 1.3 million of them -- into maples across the state. But if the cold nights hang on long enough, this could be a bountiful year, he said.