Nixon Park's Maple Sugar weekend

Nixon County Park naturalist Amber Carothers taps a red maple tree to get sap flowing in time for Nixon County Park's maple sugar weekend. Events begin on Saturday, February 23, at 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and continues Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

 Activities include tours of the park's sugar bush, lectures about the process of making maple syrup and sugar and hands-on demonstrations. Maple sugar products will be on sale, and attendees can eat a pancake with real maple syrup.

Cost is $2 per person for the weekend.

Chilly Cabin Fever walk at Rocky Ridge

For those of us who are going stir crazy for lack of snow, the York County Park system and Rocky Ridge Park hosted a Cabin Fever Walk Saturday. Attended by about 20 people, ecologist Robert Bull of Wilson T. Ballard Company of Shrewsbury led the hike through the snow-covered park.

Most Yorkers woke up Saturday morning to no snow at all, but Rocky Ridge was covered with just enough snow to make it look like winter, but not enough to make for tough walking.

Bull spoke of poplar trees, the different kids of oaks, maples. He pointed out the different lichen and moss growing on rocks, and explained how well today's forests are doing, compared with 100 years ago. Interesting stuff.

Most of the hikers were Cub Scouts from Pack 25 of York, and more interested in climbing rocks, drawing designs in the light snow cover and throwing snowballs.

It was a warm up, so to speak, for next week's Klondike Derby, where many of the scouters will be sleeping in tents at Camp Tuckahoe.

The York County Park system has changed over to LED-only lights at Christmas Magic, which translates into immense cost savings. But don't worry about a loss of color and imagination with the change.  

Christmas Magic is a marvelous combination of flashing lights, strings wrapped around trees, and lights that bring shapes of animals and people to a colorful 'life' at Rocky Ridge County Park in Springettsbury Township.

Cost for adults is $8, and children 4-12 is $6. The 1/2 mile walk is open 6-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5-9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday until December 31, except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when everything here is closed. 

 Weekends are very crowded, so it's best to visit during the week. 

This year's inside displays include a York County SPCA Holiday scene. Two handlers had their rescued dogs there, and a few wild animal trophies were shown as well. 

Also inside is the Susquehanna Valley Garden Railroad Society's larger G-gauge train display which mesmerized many of the kids who wandered through. 

The inside displays are all warmed by roaring fireplaces, so there's no need to be intimidated by the cold.