The 4th annual Manitoba Maple Syrup Festival is taking place April 9th in McCreary.

Organizer Pam Little says, as Canadians, maple syrup is part of our heritage.

"It's a long held tradition in Canada. First Nations have been doing it forever, and I think it's truly Canadian. I'm so happy we can do it in Manitoba with our own trees."

Among dozens of other activities, people in attendance can learn all about how the sweet nectar is made.

"They can learn every aspect of maple syrup production, from tapping the trees and picking out what trees to tap, and how many taps you can put into a tree, right down to evaporating it and selling the syrup."

Little says, while areas all over the province produce syrup, it's especially important to the people of McCreary. She says the town has at least six local producers.

The festival is not all about syrup, although the name might suggest otherwise. Little is actually most looking forward to some of the live entertainment.

"This year, we have the Frontier Fiddlers coming, and they're a young group of fiddlers, so that's really fun. Then, in the evening, I'm really looking forward to seeing Walking Wolf singers and dancers."

You can buy tickets in advance at mbmaplesyrupfest.ca, or at the door on April 9th in McCreary.