Victory was sweet for Jane Christiansen.
The Vergas resident won a free night's stay at the Loghouse & Homestead on Spirit Lake for coming the closest to guessing when the first bucket of sap would be filled in this year's Vergas Maple Syrup Fest, which was held April 1.
Christiansen guessed the first bucket in this year's harvest would be filled sometime between noon and 6 p.m. on April 5.
The actual time was 2:25 p.m. on that day.
Second prize in the contest, a gallon of pure maple syrup from Jake's Syrups & Natural Products in Vergas, was won by Leighton Wallace of Vergas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wallace guessed the bucket would fill between 6 a.m. and noon on April 5.
Western Minnesota's maple syrup season can arrive as early as late February or as late as the last week in April.
