Sweet Sunday In Newbury
March 19, 2026
The Newbury Historical Society
The Newbury Historical Society will highlight one of the town’s maple producers this month with an Open Sugarhouse event at Head Waters Farm.
The open house is set for Sunday, March 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the farm’s sugarhouse at 275 Saxie Welch Road, a short distance off Swamp Road. Visitors are invited to drop in, watch maple syrup being made, and enjoy fresh donuts from the Newbury Village Store, topped with maple cream generously donated by Harold Carleton and Cindy Merrill.
Those planning to attend should be prepared for early spring conditions. Organizers say roads leading to the sugarhouse are likely to be muddy, and four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. To keep traffic moving smoothly, monitors will be stationed at the intersection of Swamp Road and Saxie Welch Road to help guide one-way traffic to and from the site.
Head Waters Farm is operated by Matthew Osanitsch and Rebekah Nydam. The farm produces more than 2,000 gallons of maple syrup annually from approximately 5,500 taps. While much of their syrup is sold wholesale in bulk, the farm will have bottled syrup available for purchase during the Open Sugarhouse, giving visitors a chance to stock up while they’re there.
Sugaring is only part of the farm’s work. Head Waters also raises grass-fed American Milking Devon cattle, a multi-purpose heritage breed valued for both milk and meat. Known for their distinctive long horns, Devon steers have historically been used as oxen, and the breed remains an important link to Vermont’s agricultural past.
That history runs deep at the Head Waters property itself. The land has been farmed since the 18th century, when it was first settled by the Norse family. In more recent decades, the Meyette family operated a dairy there until 1982, followed by Fred and Earla Swift’s alpaca farm, and later the Calley family’s sugaring operation—each chapter adding to a long tradition of working the land.
More information about the Open Sugarhouse and other Newbury Historical Society activities is available at newburyhistoricalsociety.org or by email at newburyhistorical@gmail.com.
The open house is set for Sunday, March 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the farm’s sugarhouse at 275 Saxie Welch Road, a short distance off Swamp Road. Visitors are invited to drop in, watch maple syrup being made, and enjoy fresh donuts from the Newbury Village Store, topped with maple cream generously donated by Harold Carleton and Cindy Merrill.
Those planning to attend should be prepared for early spring conditions. Organizers say roads leading to the sugarhouse are likely to be muddy, and four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. To keep traffic moving smoothly, monitors will be stationed at the intersection of Swamp Road and Saxie Welch Road to help guide one-way traffic to and from the site.
Head Waters Farm is operated by Matthew Osanitsch and Rebekah Nydam. The farm produces more than 2,000 gallons of maple syrup annually from approximately 5,500 taps. While much of their syrup is sold wholesale in bulk, the farm will have bottled syrup available for purchase during the Open Sugarhouse, giving visitors a chance to stock up while they’re there.
Sugaring is only part of the farm’s work. Head Waters also raises grass-fed American Milking Devon cattle, a multi-purpose heritage breed valued for both milk and meat. Known for their distinctive long horns, Devon steers have historically been used as oxen, and the breed remains an important link to Vermont’s agricultural past.
That history runs deep at the Head Waters property itself. The land has been farmed since the 18th century, when it was first settled by the Norse family. In more recent decades, the Meyette family operated a dairy there until 1982, followed by Fred and Earla Swift’s alpaca farm, and later the Calley family’s sugaring operation—each chapter adding to a long tradition of working the land.
More information about the Open Sugarhouse and other Newbury Historical Society activities is available at newburyhistoricalsociety.org or by email at newburyhistorical@gmail.com.
Head Waters Farm Sugarhouse on Saxie Welch Rd., site of the Newbury Historical Society’s 2026 Open Sugarhouse on March 22 from 1–3 p.m. (Courtesy Photo)
Have a story?
Let's hear it!
(802) 757-2773
(603) 787-2444
news@thebridgeweekly.com
