MAPLE WINNERS ALREADY ON THE TABLE
By Shawn Corrow, Messenger Staff Writer
St. Albans Messenger, Friday April 19, 1996
St. Albans, The 29th Annual Vermont Maple Festival began at 10 a.m. today when the doors opened at festival headquarters in the American Legion Hall on Klingman Street.
As the Day continues, other events and venues were to open including the St. Albans Historical Museum on Church Street, the craft show and sale at City Hall and the carnival rides at the city parking lot off from Federal Street.
The first day of the three-day event also includes the Youth Talent Show at Bellows Free Academy at 7 p.m.
The Weather was cooperating early today with milld temperatures under overcast skies. The weekend forecast calls for partly sunny skies, with a chance of showers each day. The high temperatures most likely will be the warmest of the year; in the 70’s.
Festival headquarters was bustling Thursday night as judges decided winners in a number of maple contest categories.
Grade A Fancy syrup produced by Harland Titemore of Franklin was named best of its class. The Gillian Family Maple of Fletcher won the award for the best Grade A Medium Amber syrup and Stuart Archambault of Londonderry won the award for the top Grade A Dark Amber syrup.
Mapleview Acres of St. Albans was the winner of the Class I cooking contest for their maple quick bread. Nicold Hardy won the award in the Class II (cake) contest.
The winner in the Class III (maple apple pie) competition was Shelly Tobens of Swanton and Helen Parent of Enosburg Falls won the Class IV (maple syrup doughnuts) contest.
Betty Ann Lockhartof Charlotte was the winner of the Class V (maple sundae sauce) contest and Sarah Chiappinelli of Milton won the youth award for her upside-down cake.
Helen Parent of Enosburg Falls won the special King Arthur flour class for her maple pecan pie.
In the maple products category, Bragg Farm of East Montpelier won the prize for sugar cakes. Goodrich Farm of Cabot won the maple cream competition and Kevin Companion won the award for maple fudge.
Couture’s Maple Shop of Westfield won the award for their hard brick maple.
Steven’s Sugarhouse of Thetford won an award for Indian Sugar and the best maple display award was given to Jean Marie Laroche of Swanton.
The festival continues through the weekend with pancake breakfasts both days beginning at 7 a.m. at city elementary, a large number of demonstrations and performances during each day and into each evening, culminating in the 29th Annual Maple Parade at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. See Saturday morning’s Messenger for festival coverage and the complete weekend schedule.
Chef Joseph Russo, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York, checks the consistency of a pecan pie with fellow judge, Deborah Grandshaw at the Maple Festival’s food competition Thursday in St. Albans. Harold Gagnon of Vermont Structural Buildings solders a letter into place on a giant maple leaf he has been constructing this week in St. Albans. The copper leaf will have brass lettering for the Vermont Maple Festival, with numerous small leaves creating a comet-like tail. The design by Richard Cummings of VSB will be part of the company’s float in Sunday’s parade and may be used as a maple promotion campaign by the state (Photographs by John Thornton)