Volunteers flip pancakes during a previous Maple Syrup Festival at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The event will be held in the Nature Center's barn for the last time in 2016. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

Volunteers flip pancakes during a previous Maple Syrup Festival at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The event will be held in the Nature Center’s barn for the last time in 2016. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

CEDAR RAPIDS – It’s another milestone moment for the barn at the Indian Creek Nature Center.

The Maple Syrup Festival, which has been held in the iconic dairy barn since the event’s inception 33 years ago, will take place in the building for the last time this weekend.

Related: Photos from 2015 Maple Syrup Festival

The annual event will be 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20, 2016.

This September, the Nature Center’s new headquarters will open to replace the barn.

Related: Progress made on new Indian Creek Nature Center campus

Learn more about this year’s event, from the Indian Creek Nature Center:

Indian Creek Nature Center’s signature event, the annual Maple Syrup Festival, is taking place on Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20, 2016, from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. each day. This year, the event will be held in the Nature Center barn for the last time in the event’s 33-year history. The organization is in the final months of constructing its new building and campus, scheduled to open in September 2016.

“The new building and campus is desperately needed and will provide incredible opportunities for visitors to connect to nature,” said Lindsey Flannery, ICNC’s business development coordinator. “But many community members have a nostalgic love of the barn – the silo, the twisting stairs, the dairy farm history – there is just something quaint about it. We are excited to celebrate the Maple Syrup Festival here one last time before moving it to the new space.”

The Maple Syrup Festival features a pancake and sausage breakfast with real maple syrup made on-site, along with live syrup-making demonstrations in the Nature Center’s Sugar House, educational displays showing how syrup was made by early and native Americans, and live music to enjoy during breakfast. Advance ticket holders have access to express line entry; tickets can be purchased at indiancreeknaturecenter.org or by calling 319-362-0664.

Advance cost: $8 adults, $4 children ages 4-12, free for ages 3 and under. At the door cost: $10 adults, $5 children ages 4-12, free for ages 3 and under.

About Indian Creek Nature Center:

Located in Cedar Rapids, Indian Creek Nature Center is Iowa’s first and only privately owned and operated non-profit nature center. With 290 acres of land under its management, the Nature Center hosts thousands of visitors each year for nature-based programs and activities. The mission of the Indian Creek Nature Center is to promote a sustainable future by nurturing individuals through environmental education, providing leadership in land protection and restoration, and encouraging responsible interaction with nature.