Talking with Jenna Fitch from Kings Landing. They are having an event there called Maple, the First Taste of Spring. Jenna will share about this event and some background of Kings Landing.
Jenna: Our Maple Event has been going on for about 40 years. Visitors can come and get a glimpse into what life in the sugarbush was like in the 1900s.
The history of maple dates back many years. introduced by indigenous people in the area and then, shown to settlers as this amazing product that you can use. Very sweet, very nourishing and very energizing. We have a couple of houses open where we talk about life in the winter in the 19th century. And then we have demonstration of how they would boil that sap down to then make maple syrup and then eventually the maple candy, which is usually everybody's favorite.
It is just a fun day for the family to get out, learn a little history and just mostly have some fun. Take a horse and wagon ride as well. And then we do have our pancake breakfast in support of the Luxor Shriners.
Mark: So, talk a little more then about King's Landing itself. I know that, when the dam was put in, there were a lot of homes that were going to be essentially destroyed when the water filled. And many of those homes, or some of them at least, were moved.
Jenna: Yes, it was the late 1960s. And as you mentioned, the dam construction project was sort of underway or the plans were in place and a committee came together there is a lot of history in this area that eventually would be underwater.
So, they wanted to save different buildings or houses that had some type of historical significance. About 70 of these historic buildings are on our site. Some early after we opened, some in the late 1960s, and others in the 1970s. Kings Landing is now alive as a 19th century village where people can come and visit the different homes and the characters inside. We also have the shops, including the Blacksmith, the Carpenter and the General Store, which is my favorite.
We have been operating for 50 years now. July 20th was our official opening date in 1974. We will be having a celebration in the summer as well, on July 20th, to mark that.
Kings Landing – The First Taste of Spring