TORCH RADIO
A Timeless Tradition in the Southern Adirondacks
Thurman Maple Days arrives not simply as a festival but as a reaffirmation of a way of life rooted in patience, land, and shared labor. On March 9, our Civic Conversation will turn its attention to the people who animate that tradition — the sugar makers who rise before dawn to tend the evaporator, the families who have passed down woodlots and knowledge, and the newcomers who have discovered in maple a calling that blends science with stewardship. In Thurman, syrup is not merely produced; it is cultivated through relationships between neighbors, forests, and seasons.
At Valley Road Maple
Across the region, the maple ecosystem has grown into a network of distinct personalities and approaches. Producers like Charles Wallace of Hidden Hollow Maple represent the scale and continuity of multigenerational operations, while chemist-turned-sugar makers such as Mike and Ingrid Richter at Candy Mountain Maple show how modern knowledge and environmental awareness are reshaping the craft. Others keep the old rhythms alive — wood-fired evaporators, bucket lines, and the quiet choreography of sap runs that still depend on the daily swing between frost and thaw. Each brings a different philosophy, yet together they form the living culture behind Maple Days.
The Civic Conversation will explore how this culture extends well beyond the sugarhouse. Volunteers, tourism organizers, local historians, and chefs all contribute to turning a seasonal harvest into a shared regional identity. Maple Days has become a moment when Thurman opens its doors and invites visitors not only to taste syrup but to witness the ingenuity, resilience, and hospitality that define the community. It is, in many ways, a civic event disguised as a culinary one.
Participants in the March 9 gathering will hear stories from the woods, reflections on the evolving technology of sugaring, and perspectives on how climate, markets, and tourism are shaping the future of the industry. The conversation aims to illuminate how a tradition survives not by resisting change but by absorbing it thoughtfully, balancing innovation with continuity. In doing so, it highlights maple production as both an economic engine and a cultural inheritance.
By bringing these voices together, the Civic Conversation seeks to celebrate not only the anniversary of Maple Days but the deeper lesson it offers: that a community thrives when its people remain attentive to land, history, and one another. The story of Thurman’s maple season is ultimately a story about cooperation, ingenuity, and care — qualities as necessary for civic life as they are for making good syrup. On March 9, we will gather to honor those qualities and the people who embody them.
Smartacus Wonders
What do you most want visitors to understand about maple production that they usually miss?
How has maple production in Thurman changed in the last generation—and what do those changes reveal about the future of the Adirondack economy?
What role does Thurman Maple Days play for the community itself, not just for visitors?
What is the biggest challenge facing maple producers here right now?
What would success for Thurman Maple Days look like ten years from now?
Thanks to the Smartacus Story Accelerator