First tapping draws crowd to Powassan

Jerilyn Cottrell holds her grandson Nolan Smetana, 2, up to pet a horse at Matthews Maple Syrup in Powassan, Saturday, where about 75 people attended the annual first tapping ceremony.
Matthews and his wife, Audrey, have been operating the sugar bush since 1979. Workers there have been busy cleaning up the 200 acres after a windy fall and winter, which pulled a number of pipes out of the trees.
Matthews figures the sap will start really running closer to the middle of the month – close to