People across the state flooded sugar shacks and farms on Maine Maple Sunday, an annual rite of spring in Maine.

At farms like Harris Farm in Dayton and Triple C Farm in Lyman, the lines wound far out the door for people who wanted to partake in the pancake breakfasts.

“It’s been crazy,” said Camry Dyer of Triple C Farm, who was outside the family sugar shack selling items that included maple syrup, homemade maple lollipops and maple-coated walnuts.

“As you can see, people are everywhere,” she said. “It’s fun, though.”

Nearby, people crowded into a barn to look at cows and chickens.

Inside the sugar shack, Camry’s brother, Cale, was demonstrating the wood-powered boiler that heats sap taken from maple trees and boils it down to the sweet syrup that is enjoyed by many.

Both Dyer siblings said this season has been much better than last year. Camry said that they’ve produced 65 gallons this year and tapped about 250 trees.

“We’ve had close to perfect weather,” said Camry.

To get the sap flowing, the ideal weather has cold nights and warm days.

Keith Harris at Harris Farm said they started tapping on March 3.

“The last two weeks have been phenomenal,” said Harris.

Harris said the farm, which has 500 taps, has produced more than 100 gallons of syrup, and will probably make about 50 more, stopping at the first week of April.

Last year, with warm weather, the farm started tapping on Feb. 13, a few weeks early, and the season ended early as well.

“This year is more reflective of a true season,” said Harris.

Typically, it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Both Harris and Cale Dyer said that early in the season, they found the sap had a high sugar content. Dyer said that his sap was taking about 28 gallons to make a gallon of syrup, and Harris said his took about 21 1/2 gallons to make a gallon of syrup. Harris attributed this to a good growing season last year.

Harris stood next to a local 4H group, which was selling maple popcorn and cotton candy Sunday. Nearby, a long line of people stood to get into the sugar shack, while others petted baby goats, took a look at some taps on the trees or waited for the horsedrawn carriage rides.

Harris said it was hard to gauge, but he estimated the farm probably would have seen about 2,500 visitors when the weekend was over.

Samantha Johnson of Saco and her 4-year-old daughter, Ruby, were admiring some baby goats at Harris Farm Sunday.

“We love it. It’s just so much fun to go out and see how syrup is made,” she said. “It’s good, clean fun.

“It’s nice to know this stuff still exists so close to the city,” she said.

At their respective farms, Harris and Camry Dyer were working side by side with family and friends.

“We couldn’t do it without family,” said Dyer.

“It takes a lot of family members, friends and neighbors to put on a weekend like this,” said Harris. “We’ve got all hands on deck, and then some.”

Dyer and Harris also enjoy the fruits of their labor.

“It’s an all-natural sweetener,” said Harris, with nothing added. “I put maple syrup on everything. I put it in my coffee every morning.”

He said his favorite way to serve maple syrup is on pancakes or waffles.

Dyer said her favorite way to eat maple syrup is on vanilla ice cream.

“But it’s good on everything,” she said.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.