(Updated April 6, 2009)
Hundreds turnout for 40th edition of Cumberland Lions Maplefest
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Lions Judy MacDonald (right) and Marie Ratajczak serve up a plate of pancakes and sausages during the 40th annual Cumberland Lions Maplefest on Saturday. Fred Sherwin/Photo

In what’s become an east end tradition of epic proportions, hundreds of maple syrup lovers turned out for the 40th annual Cumberland Lions Maplefest last weekend, devouring over 1,000 pancakes, 1,800 sausages and gallons of maple syrup and orange juice.

Among the maple syrup devotees who dropped by the Maple Hall for the first day of Maplefest was Marcele Bissonnette, whose late husband Réne was a charter member of the Cumberland Lions and helped organize the very first Cumberland Maplefest some 40 years ago.

Marcele has been to all 40 Maplefest weekends which have turned into an annual reunion of sorts for current and former Cumberland Village residents.
“It brings the whole community together and even people from outside the community,” says Marcele who has eaten too many pancakes to count over the years.

One of the event’s biggest fans, both literally and figuratively, is Cumberland Ward Coun. Rob Jellett who dropped by the Maple Hall on Saturday to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat breakfast with his wife Susan.

“If there’s food Jellett’s here,” the Cumberland Ward councillor joked. “But seriously, it’s just a great event. I mean look at all the people here. It’s a great event for the Lions, it’s a great fundraiser and it’s one of the things that makes Cumberland so special.”

Mel Walker took over as the chair of the Lions Maplefest in 1991 and he’s been organizing it ever since with a lot of help from his fellow Cumberland Lions as well as a handful of members from the Gloucester North Lions Club.

“Why is this event so important? It’s very important in bringing all the Lions together and it'’ important in terms of the amount of money we raise and all the groups it benefits,” says Walker.

Last year, the event raised over $3,500 that went to a variety of organizations and initiatives including the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre, the Alzheimer’s Society, the Ottawa Food Bank and various Lions International causes.

But aside from raising thousands of dollars for great causes, what makes the Cumberland Maplefest so successful is the opportunity it gives people to get out of their houses after a long winter and gather for a couple of hours to reacquaint themselves with their neighbours.

Gladys Eggert and Florence Edwards have both been coming to the Maplefest for years, and while they loved the pancakes and the maple syrup it’s getting to spend time with each other and their friends that makes the event so special.

“I just love it,” says Edwards. “You get to see so many familiar faces and a lot of people bring their children. It’s become a real family event.”

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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