Sights and sounds of maple syrup tapping in Minnesota

HASTINGS, Minn. (KMSP) - It's a sound that grabs your ear. A pitter-patter, drip-drop that comes only once a year. On the first day of spring, conditions were perfect for maple tapping.

In the woods outside the Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings, Minn., maple syruping is catching on. Free classes are drawing steady crowds, attracting families interested in something different and fun. Rob and Grace Anderson have learned to accept that their daughters, Mia and Eva, are what you might call “hands on.”

"We are constantly looking for activities and adventures that can keep them busy and not trying to burn down our house,” they said.

Jessie Eckroad plays the role of harvester, tour guide and sometimes, entertainer.

"What's fun about maple syruping too is I have to do it for my job, but it's a really fun process,” Eckroad said.

And while spring has arrived and the weather is finally starting to turn, the pitter-patter drip-drop continues, promising at least a few more days of this special time of year.