Maine Maple Sunday breakfast this weekend at the fire station

Proceeds to benefit ‘New Beginnings’ Shiretown Homecoming
in early August
By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — A late March tradition continues in 2013 as the Maine Maple Sunday Breakfast will be served on Sunday, March 24 at the Dover-Foxcroft fire station from 7-10 a.m. The meal is the single biggest fundraiser for the annual Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming celebration, which will take place this year Aug. 2-3 with a theme of “New Beginnings.”

Observer file photo

    CROWD AROUND THE TABLES — Hundreds of patrons attend the annual Maine Maple Sunday Breakfast at the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Station, with a record turnout of nearly 1,000 several years ago. This year’s breakfast will be Sunday, March 24 from 7-10 a.m., with proceeds going toward the annual Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming in early August.

    Maple Breakfast Chair, and Bob’s Sugarhouse namesake, Bob Moore said the menu will be the same as in years past — “it’s a pretty good menu I think,” Moore said — as meal patrons can enjoy pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade home fries and beverages such as coffee, tea, juice and milk. Moore said the meal will also include Pure Maine Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse, which he donates annually to the breakfast.

Observer file photo

    GOURMET CHEFS — Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Dennis Dyer, left, and former Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency Director Tom Iverson cook up the homemade home fries during a past Maine Maple Sunday Breakfast.

    “That’s from 7-10 a.m.,” Moore said, saying the doors may be kept open later if need be. “It’s at the fire station as usual and the prices are the same, we try to keep the prices down so people will come,” Moore said. “A lot of people come from a long ways around,” he said, mentioning he has been receiving calls inquiring about the date of the 2013 Maine Maple Sunday Breakfast.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    MAINE MAPLE WEEKEND OPEN HOUSE — Bob’s Sugarhouse on East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft will hold an open house Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 for the annual Maine Maple Weekend, complete with syrup-making demonstrations and free samples of maple products. The weekend includes a breakfast on March 24 from 7 to 10 a.m. at the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Station, with Bob’s Sugarhouse donating all the syrup for pancakes and French toast. The meal is the single biggest fundraiser for the Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming celebration in August.

    Moore said the breakfast began a number of years ago when he spoke with then-Town Manager Owen Pratt about the idea of having a breakfast in Dover-Foxcroft similar to meals taking place elsewhere across the state to celebrate Maine Maple Sunday (which takes place the fourth Sunday in March) with Moore offering to donate all of the maple syrup. He said the late Howard Kesseli was also instrumental in getting the breakfast up and running into what it is today.
    “We have gone from around 300 people with the first one to almost 1,000 a few years ago,” Moore said, saying recent attendance figures have been in the 850-950 range. “That’s a lot of people to go through the fire station in a few hours,” he said.

Observer file photo/Chad Raymond

    MAPLE BREAKFAST — Alexis Wesley enjoys her meal during last year’s annual Maine Maple Sunday breakfast at the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Station.

    “Tuesday they clean the fire station and Wednesday they will bring in the grills,” Moore said about the prep work for the breakfast, which is carried out through the efforts of dozens of volunteers. “Saturday they start preparing the potatoes,’ he said, with members of the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department starting to pre-cook the bacon on Saturday evening.
    On Sunday morning volunteers are at work before the sun rises to get the fire station ready for the hundreds of breakfast-goers. Volunteers cook, serve, assist the patrons coming in and more to help make the experience enjoyable for all. Moore said Police Chief and “renowned chef” Dennis Dyer will once again be cooking and serving up the homemade home fries.

Observer file photos

    VOLUNTEER EFFORT — The efforts of volunteers, such as cooking and serving, help make the Maine Sunday Breakfast a success each and every year.

    “The potatoes are donated by Cleaves Farm,” Moore said, saying the Sangerville farm has been donating hundreds of pounds of the vegetable annually for a number of years. “Some of the food has been donated in part by different vendors,” Moore said, saying that Will’s Shop ‘n Save approached the organizing committee and then made arrangements with several bread companies to contribute items to the breakfast.
     “We have a lot really from different stores in the area, we try to keep it local,” Moore said about meal purchases. “They support us so we support them.”

Observer file photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    SAPPY BUCKET — A bucket for collecting sap, to be made into syrup, is attached to a maple tree on the Bob’s Sugarhouse property in Dover-Foxcroft.

    “Plum Creek always gives a big donation to the breakfast,” Moore said, as the meal has a number of corporate sponsors contributing to the event.
    Both on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 Bob’s Sugarhouse will celebrate the Maine Maple Weekend with an open house — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The open house at the 252 East Main Street (Route 15) location will include free samples of maple treats, demonstrations, balloons for kids, door prizes and more.
    For more information on the 2013 Maine Maple Sunday Breakfast, please contact Moore at 564-2145. More information on Bob’s Sugarhouse can be found at www.mainemaplesyrup.com.

Observer file photo/Chad Raymond

    STANDING ROOM ONLY — The line for food snakes around inside the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Station in 2012 for the Maine Maple Sunday breakfast.