Events & Special Days
The American Maple Museum hosts several signature events through the season — anchored by the Hall of Fame induction weekend in May, with pancake breakfasts, demonstration boils, and the Croghan Christmas Market filling out the calendar. For exact dates each year, call the museum or check our social media; the schedule below is the annual rhythm.
Opening Weekend & Hall of Fame Induction (Mid-May)
The museum's biggest weekend of the year. The season opens, two new members are inducted into the American Maple Hall of Fame, and maple producers from across the U.S. and Canada gather in Croghan for what has become one of the principal social events of the North American maple industry.
The 2025 induction was held on May 17, with David Hamilton (Indiana) and Timothy Wilmot (Vermont) inducted. The 2026 weekend will be held on a comparable May date — check with the museum for the specific date.
The weekend's events:
- Saturday morning pancake breakfast in the museum dining room
- Open house at the museum throughout the weekend
- Induction ceremony for the year's two new Hall of Fame members
- Informal industry gathering through the rest of the weekend
Summer Sunday Pancake Breakfasts
Once a month from June through August, the museum hosts a regular Sunday pancake breakfast in the dining room. Pancakes, sausage, pure maple syrup from Lewis County producers, coffee. Open to the public; tickets sold at the door. The breakfasts are a major fundraiser for the museum and a beloved community tradition. More on the pancake breakfast
Demonstration Boils
Several times each season, the museum runs a demonstration boil in the sugar house replica. The wood-fired evaporator is fired up, sap is run through, and visitors get to experience the genuine smell, sound, and ambient warmth of a working sugar house. These are typically tied to other events on the calendar — opening weekend, special pancake breakfasts, or community heritage days. About the sugar house
School Field Trips (May – June)
The early-summer weekday hours are largely given over to school groups. Elementary and middle schools from across Lewis County and the broader region bring students for guided tours, often coordinated with curriculum units on early American history, agriculture, or the New York State environment. School-group admission is $1 per student with adult chaperones admitted free. School visits
Independence Day Weekend
The museum is open on July 4 with regular hours and often has an expanded gift shop offering of locally-made maple products and seasonal items. Croghan and the broader Lewis County region host community fireworks and parades the same weekend.
Labor Day Weekend (Season Close)
Labor Day is typically the museum's final day of the regular season. The museum is open with regular hours; the gift shop runs end-of-season specials on the remaining maple inventory. After Labor Day, the museum closes for the off-season.
Croghan Christmas Market (December)
Once a year, despite the museum being closed for the season, the building hosts the Croghan Christmas Market — a community holiday market featuring local craftspeople, maple producers selling holiday inventory, and the kind of small-village holiday atmosphere that the village does very well. The market typically runs one weekend in early December. The museum exhibits are not open during the market, but the building is full of vendors and visitors.
Special Group Tours
Throughout the season, the museum hosts pre-arranged group tours from heritage societies, garden clubs, senior centers, and tourism groups. These can be self-guided at regular admission rates, or led by a volunteer docent for a slightly higher rate. Booking group tours
For Current Dates
The museum doesn't publish a full annual calendar online; dates shift slightly year to year based on volunteer availability and weather. For the most accurate information about upcoming events, please:
- Call the museum at (315) 346-1107
- Email [email protected]
- Watch the museum's Facebook page, which is updated with current event details
Volunteering at Events
If you'd like to volunteer at any of the museum's events — cooking, serving, set-up, breakdown, or any of the small jobs that make these things run — we welcome new volunteers and would love to hear from you. More on volunteering