Tired of paying high prices at the gas pump? Give your car and wallet a break on Saturday and catch a train to Shepherd. Or, just go along for a ride.

Trains will be leaving Mountain Town Station in Mount Pleasant at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and departing from Shepherd at 11:30 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.

Train tickets start at $10.

While you're waiting to board, check out the Train Depot museum featuring items from the past as well as a scale model of an entire railroad system. The Train Depot is open to the public throughout the weekend.

For more information about the train rides, check out this article in the Morning Sun. Stay tuned to the SMSF news feed for more information, or check out the official website for more event information.

The WNEMTV5 Facebook fan page gave the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival a shout out this week. The write-up appears on the page's discussion forum and links to both a story in the Morning Sun and the official Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival website. Here is the text:

Just 3 days until it gets sticky in Shepherd! The Maple Syrup Festival begins this Friday, April 29th & they're predicting sun & low to mid 60's! The Sugar Bush Factory has made 2005 gallons of the sweet stuff this year! Come get your pancakes & sausage plus enjoy the garage sales, arts & crafts, antiques, train rides, amusement rides, tractor pulls, classic car show, dances & other festival activities!!!

WNEMTV5 Facebook Page

Remember to stay tuned to Facebook, Twitter, and the main website for news, updates, and reports from around the festival.

The Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival was mentioned in a Morning Sun article which listed highlights from Mid-Michigan history. Here is the section that talked about the festival:

25 years ago

The 1986 Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival was dedicated to Lyle Rhynard, the man who was credited with formulating the idea of the festival in the spring of 1958 and spent nearly 30 years making the festival a success.

Morning Sun, 04/26/2011

Check out the full article. I wonder what 2011's Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival will be remembered for twenty five years from now.

The Internet is going to play a big role during next weekend's Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. Here are some examples of ways in which festival attendees, Shepherd residents, and distance viewers will be able to access, contribute to, and share information:

• The Website: All of the information you could ever want is stored on the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival website at http://www.shepherdmaplesyrupfest.org. This includes event descriptions, scheduling listings, contact information, and a downloadable copy of this year's flyer.
• News Stream: A new stream for the festival has been started on Posterous and Blogger. These sites will be updated during the festival.
• Twitter: Information from the blogs will also be shared over Twitter via the hashtag #smsf53. If you prefer to follow the Twitter account directly, it is under the username "smsf53."
• Facebook: If you are a Facebook user, be sure to join the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival page on Facebook. Members of the page will be able to share notes, news, comments, and photos during the festival. Posts from the blogs are also streamed onto the Facebook fan page.
• Flickr: Photography enthuisasts, professionals, and hobbyists will be mixing together their photos from the festival via a group on Flickr. These photos will also post to the blogs, Facebook, and the Twitter stream.
• Scribd: Shepherd residents, festival attendees, and business owners can download the information that's displayed on the website and the blogs as print-ready newsletters. 

So, everyone who participates in the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival next weekend--or, perhaps you're in another part of the country and want to hear how things are going--is invited to check out these resources, post comments, and contribute in any way that you choose.

I am especially looking for individuals who are willing to upload photos, post updates over Twitter, and share their thoughts or notes via the Facebook fan page. If you would like to help out in these areas, please email me at 32bpwr3@gmail.com.

If you have any other ideas how you might be able to help contribute to the media coverage of the festival, please free to contact me via email.

The Morning Sun ran an article yesterday about this year's Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. Check out the article "Shepherd gets ready for annual Maple Syrup Festival." Stay tuned to Facebook, and the official Maple Syrup Festival website for additional updates.

The Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival made into Mlive.com this week. The news website reported on the free dance being held April 30th as a part of the upcoming Festival. Read the full article, "Free dance part of Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival" and post your comments below.

Just watched a video which was posted on The Morning Sun's website as a part of an article they wrote about the 2010 Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. The video shows some interesting scenes from the pancake dinner, and there are some interesting sound clips from committee members.

Check out the article here.

Here are links to websites from around the Internet which made references to the upcoming Maple Syrup Festival.

• Michigan Maple Syrup Association
• Michigan Vacation Getaway Ideas
• What's Happening in Michigan
• WJR ExploresMichigan.com
• Gratiot County Herald
• MICentralEvents.com
• Musings from the Sugar Bush

If you happen to be talking to your friends or relatives about the festival and need a place to send them to find out more, just send them to one of the websites above. Or, tell them to go to http://www.shepherdmaplesyrupfest.org!

Stay on top of the action during the upcoming Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival by joining the group on Flickr. Photographers, camera owners, and casual snapshot-takers are invited to share their photos by uploading them to this flickr group. Photos will also be displayed on the official Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival website, Facebook, and sent over Twitter.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jon Morgan at 32bpwr3@gmail.com.