Ever been to the Hebron Maple Festival and seen the Hebron Maple Leaf? Maybe the
Leaf gave you a high-five, maybe the Leaf danced around to music, or maybe you
caught the Leaf riding on the tractor parade. In any case, the Leaf was there to
bring joy to the Maple Festival. The Leaf was there to make kids & families feel
happy about attending the Maple Festival.
That was my purpose when I created the concept of the Maple Leaf in 2010. I had wanted to create the mascot for the festival. When I first started out, I was a member of the Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast before I made my way to downtown Hebron. I started with a costume I bought on my own with a sheet of paper tacked to the costume with the name "Mr. Maple Leaf." No one knew originally what I was- they thought I was a burning hot dog, or something of that nature. The sign helped to define the character.
I am here to formally thank everyone who donated to create the "new" Maple Leaf. I cannot thank everyone enough. We have accumulated over $1000 in donations but we are still looking for around $400 to fully pay for the costume. This new costume was all thanks to the citizens of Hebron who stepped up and contributed to keep this tradition alive. They have shown me that this tradition is worth keeping and that they want to keep the passion of the Maple Leaf alive. Thank you to everyone who has donated for the new Maple Leaf costume for the 2027 Maple Festival. It will be donated to Michelle at the Flour Girl Cafe, as her staff has taken up the role of the Maple Leaf the past few years.
Below are a collection of photos featuring the new costume. It is not a final draft but it is what the new Maple Leaf will mostly look like. Additionally, if you would like to help us raise the last bit of money, you can donate at the GoFundMe page here: Maple Festival Go Fund Me Fundraiser We are almost at our goal and hope to reach it in the next few weeks! Please help support this tradition so we can share our love and fun at the Maple Festival.
Over the years, I gained some credibility as
a mascot. Kids looked for me at the Maple Festival and I
created the Facebook page to share the love and joy with everyone. I have easily
close to 50 personal photos, many with children, politicians, and on the
tractors in the tractor parades. Additionally, I made it into newspapers. I had
tried to get into the newspapers each year. One year, I was kicked out from
someone who claimed I did not have a right to be there. It was a bit upsetting
and it angered others who had seen me around town because they know I was there
for them, no one else. Some people demanded that they would "make their own
Maple Leaf costume and walk around town" if the real Maple Leaf could not be
present. The support was phenomenal. The town had my back. I never asked for any
money. In fact, I paid for my own costume twice, as I replaced the first one
with a sturdier second one over the years. In any case, various different groups
took over the Maple Festival and eventually allowed me to participate.
I just want everyone to be aware of this maple movement- I created the Maple Leaf mascot and the image. I brought the idea of
the Maple Leaf to everyone. It has now become the official mascot and tradition
of the Maple Festival. I moved out of Hebron and have given Michelle's staff at
the Flour Girl Cafe a chance to be the Maple Leaf. I have passed the tradition
forward, but the same mission still stands to spread joy at the Hebron maple
Festival.
We are currently in the midst of creating the "new" Maple Leaf
costume. I reached out to vendors and found a vendor that is making a new
costume. This one will be "new" and will obtain logos for the sponsors, Flour
Girl Cafe and The Town Center Project. Both of these groups have helped to keep
the tradition alive and make the Maple Festival as great as it can be.
We are
almost done with creating the costume. As mentioned, it is looking to be ready for 2027. Please consider donating to the cause, as we hope this costume and tradition will last for many years beyond 2027.
Link to Maple Leaf fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-the-maple-leaf-mascot-tradition-alive
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