NORWICH – Keeping with the long-standing agricultural tradition of maple syrup production in the county, the Chenango County Historical Society is preparing to host its second annual Maple Sunday event.

This free event welcomes community members to see how maple syrup production in Chenango County has developed over the course of a century. From the origins of using wooden collection equipment and the commonly seen metal buckets, to a more modern tubing system used to collect tree sap, changes in the industry have made maple syrup production more lucrative in the area over the years. The historical society will be exhibiting many of these changes this Sunday.

“People will be able to see gathering and boil technology as it developed. Maple production is still here and has a good history in this county,” said CCHS director Allan Estus. “The displays we have are to show the contribution of the industry from the people here in Chenango County.”

This year, the committee will also spotlight the new maple syrup house constructed behind the museum. Using donated materials from Curtis Lumber in Norwich, volunteers have been constructing the building since October, Estus said. While it’s not yet fully functioning, the syrup house is evidence that while technology in the collection process has certainly changed over the years, many of the practices in syrup production remain the same today.