🍁 Maple Syrup Open House Weekend at Bonz Beach Farms
Sponsored by Earth Week Plus
Come experience real Michigan maple syrup production during this free, family-friendly open house weekend at Bonz Beach Farms.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how sap is collected from the forest and transformed into pure maple syrup—and beyond.
📅 Event Details
Dates: Saturday & Sunday, March 14–15, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM***
***This is a two-day event. OPEN HOUSE Hours are from 10:00am — 4:00pm on both March 14th, 2026 & March 15th, 2026 (please do not come at 6pm on March 14th lol)
Location:
Bonz Beach Farms, 20706 Bonz Beach Hwy, Onaway, MI 49765
What You’ll See
Owners Jeff and Gary Shepherd operate a modern maple syrup operation featuring:
Over 4,300 tapped maple trees
Nearly 2 miles of tubing moving sap through the sugarbush
A central pumphouse feeding a 4,200-gallon collection tank
An automated syrup processing system producing up to 40 gallons of syrup per hour
What You’ll Learn
Visitors will:
Watch sap being pumped directly from the trees
Learn how roughly 43 gallons of sap become 1 gallon of finished maple syrup
See the full process from tree → syrup → sugar OR candy.
Gain insight into how maple season runs from mid-February through April
“I started with just 60 taps in my first year,” says Gary Shepherd.
“Now we’re tapping about 4,300 trees — and the season still flies by.”
🛒 Maple Products Available for Purchase
Pure Michigan Maple Syrup
Maple Sugar
Maple Candy
Maple Mustard
Maple BBQ Sauce
🌎 Event Information
Sponsored by Earth Week Plus
Part of a county-wide program series across Cheboygan County
FREE admission
Suitable for all ages
🔗 Learn more and view the full Earth Week Plus schedule at earthweekplus.org & bonzbeachfarms.com/pages/events
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