​Elk Rapids Almanac

Elk Rapids Almanac, March 2025
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March 15-The Ides of March refers to the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar. In ancient Rome, the Ides were considered an important marker for religious observances and political activities. Fast forward 1600 years when the Ides of March gained notoriety due to one fateful event - the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC. Stabbed to death by 60 conspirators, Ceasar had been forewarned by a fortune teller to “beware the Ides of March”, a phrase made popular by Shakespeare in the 1599 play Julius Ceasar as the warning given about impending danger.
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March 20-First day of spring. In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox)occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator going south to north. Its called the celestial equator because it’s an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator. On the March equinox, the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere receive roughly equal amounts of sunlight; neither hemisphere is tilted more toward or away from the Sun than the other.
​-almanac.com

March 22-Maple Syrup Time. “It’s that time of the year when nature provides a special treat and the volunteers at Maple Bay Farm take full advantage of it. The volunteers tap twenty Maple trees on the property to obtain the sap which runs from the trees when nights are below freezing and daytime temps are around the 40s. They take that Maple sap which is about 2 percent sugar and turn it into to syrup which is about 66 percent sugar. They do this by filtering, reverse osmosis and boiling and boiling and filtering again. It is truly a science project that has been going on for centuries. Thank you to the trees!”
​-Jane Stauffer, Maple Bay volunteer

Photo by: Royce Ragland
Volunteer Jane Stauffer explaining the maple syrup process

March 22-“This was the first time I ever saw maple syrup being made. They gave me a taste, and the sap was really sweet and delicious!”
-Lowie, seven year old visitor from Los Angeles.

Photo By: Royce Ragland
volunteer gary stauffer teaches visitors from los angelos get about the syrup making process

March 24-“Cloudy skies and late snow is probably good for the fruit.  Conventional thinking is that because snow reflects sunlight and melts in the orchards, it keeps the soil cool and the fruit buds dormant, shortening the interval when buds are filled with sap and extremely vulnerable to death by hypothermia.”
​-Norm Veliquette, farmer​
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