Curran Homestead hosts annual Maple Syrup & Irish Celebration

ORRINGTON, Maine (WABI) - Curran Homestead took attendees back in time at the Maple Syrup & Irish Celebration event Saturday.

Hosted at 19th Century Curran Village, the hands-on museum invited visitors of all ages to learn and interact with practices from the past, including blacksmithing, making maple syrup, and operating a printing press.

There was also traditional Irish food available, as well as horse-drawn sled rides, an egg hunt, and the historic carousel built in 1896 for eventgoers to take advantage of.

Curran Homestead is the non-profit organization that owns Curran Village. The museum is a result of the last member of the Curran family wishing for the property and buildings to be preserved by the community in her will. There are multiple buildings on the land, including a printing shop, cider mill, and sugar shack that act as the settings for interactive learning experiences. The goal for the nonprofit is to apply 19th and early 20th century technologies and techniques to solve contemporary challenges.

“Our primary goal is to establish a place where children can learn what their grandparents and their grandparents’ parents took for granted,” explains Curran Homestead’s Board of Directors member Dick Stockford. “Basically, we’re here to answer questions when kids scratch their heads and say, ‘What’s that?’”

Not only does Curran Village offer engaging activities for children, but the community as a whole. On-site blacksmith Dwight King says of the museum’s mission, “Getting community involvement is a process that is kind of slowly disappearing and we want to keep it alive and introduce it to a new generation.”

Beyond what is offered through demonstrations, Curran Village hosts a variety of classes for adults in a range of historical practices and holds events throughout the year.

For more information on 19th Century Curran Village and the Curran Homestead nonprofit, visit their website or Facebook page.

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