The Catskill Chronicle

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY (March 16, 2011) — A sugar house, for the uninitiated, is where the sap of the maple trees is collected and boiled down to that delicious nectar – maple syrup.

Five sugar house operators in Sullivan County are offering an afternoon of tours and fun, all for a good cause.

A twenty dollar entry fee buys you a map showing the location of each of the sugar houses and entry into a poker run.

Starting at noon on Saturday, March 19 participants start in Liberty and visit each of the sugar houses, collecting a poker card at each location.

At the final location, the Thunder Hill Sugar Shack, there will be live music, light refreshments catered by Mr. Willy’s Restaurant, and a multitude of prizes for the winning hands.

You don’t need to know anything about poker to participate and everyone who has at least a pair wins a prize.

The five sugar shacks, Porkupine Lodge, Muthig Farm, Justus Asthalter Maple Syrup, Catskill Mountain Sugar House and Thunder Hill Sugar Shack, range from the oldest sugar shack in the county, demonstrating the time honored traditions of sugar shacks, to the most state of the art maple syrup processing facilities.

It makes for a fascinating and fun afternoon. Best yet, the five operators will be donating every penny of those twenty dollar entry fees to Community Unity. So you know your hard-earned donation is helping four hard working non-profit organizations here in Sullivan County.

So help them help our neighbors and have a great afternoon, too! For tickets call Claire Sullivan at 845-557-3642.