Greetings from your President

Hello, I am honored to be serving as President of the Michigan Maple Syrup Association for the coming year. The Holidays are past as is our 2002 MMSA Winter Meeting. The weather cooperated again this year with good driving for all. Our speakers were very good and a lot of excellent ideas and information were presented.

I would like to say a special thank you to Dr. Randy Heiligmann of The Ohio State University. Randy, as we all know him, is a very dynamic speaker and presents a lot of information in a very short time. It is so much fun to hear someone like Randy who is always excited to talk about Maple Syrup.

This is a repeat from last year but we need to give a great big THANK YOU to everyone who made this meeting successful. The board members did a great job once again. Thank you to the Arnold Family for handling registration, to Ron Kistler for organizing the vendor display area and Steve Youdes for handling the organization and judging of the syrup and candy contest. Special thanks to Russ Kidd and his staff for all their help and support.

Our honored member for this year was Sophy Carpenter of Harbor Springs. Sophy and her late husband Leonard were part of the founding members of our association. Sophy served as registration chairman when we hosted the NAMSC and IMSI Conference in 1996. I truly enjoyed Sophy's talk as she accepted the award. It was another opportunity to learn more about the Michigan Maple Syrup Association as well as how they made syrup in days gone by. Congratulations, Sophy, and Thank You.

Jean Maday, Steve Youdes and Craig Arnold were re-elected to the board for three-year terms.

Our board officers for this year are,
President—Larry Haigh
Vice President—Roger VandeBunte
Treasurer—Steve Youdes 
Secretary—Jean Maday

We always need volunteers, please find a committee you would like to help with, then call the Chairperson and get involved.

Promotion—Tim Boonstra
Legislative—Mary Douglass
Fall Tour & Registration—Craig Arnold
Maple Syrup Contest—Steve Youdes
Constitution & By-Laws—Ron Thomas
Nominations—Tim Boonstra
Annual Meeting—Larry Haigh 
Membership—Roger VandeBunte
Web Site—Roger VandeBunte
Honorarium—Larry Haigh
Grants—Mary Douglass
Newsletter—Cathi Bates
Sale Items—Cathi Bates
Budget & Audit—Larry Haigh
Historian—Jean Maday
Supplier Display—Ron Kistler 
NAMSC/IMSI Trip—Debbie Thomas

Board members chair various committees to handle the business of the association. These committees also include association members to assist in the various functions. The following is the Committee and Chair for the New Year.

I would like to remind you that there are two major festivals in Michigan celebrating Maple. The Vermontville and Shepherd Maple Syrup Festivals both are being held April 27 and 28. There are also many other Maple Syrup events around this Great State of Michigan, so please look into them for both yourself and your customers.

The Fall Tour this year will be in the Boyne City area. The tour is set for September 28. Next year's annual meeting is all set for January 18, 2003. Mark these dates on our calendar now. We are hoping to go to the middle or western end of Upper Peninsula for the Fall Tour in 2003. Due to the distance involved, we need your suggestions for how to organize such a tour. We also need producers to host the tour, so don't be bashful, please give us a hand.

As I write to you, the weather is on a roller coaster ride. Here in midMichigan we have a couple warm days and then a couple cold days. Some folks have tapped and others are still getting ready. Wherever you are, have a very sweet season, work safely and enjoy the wonders God has given us.

Larry Haigh, President
Michigan Maple Syrup Association