SIDNEY -- Chocolate bunnies at dawn and maple syrup-flavored cotton candy later that morning.

Yes, Tyler Bielecki, who proudly proclaimed himself 51/2, was having a pretty good Easter as he stood next to his mom, DeeDee Bielecki, at the Bacon Farm on Pond Road just before noon on Sunday.

That's what can happen when Maine Maple Sunday -- now in its 25th year -- falls on the same day as Easter.

"We thought we'd want to get out of the house this weekend," DeeDee Bielecki said as she tried to stay warm in her Inland Hospital fleece jacket. "I didn't think it would be so windy."

And cold, Bielecki might have added.

But the chilly breeze and Easter obligations didn't stop Bielecki and many others from flooding the Bacon farm in search of maple-syrup flavored delectables.

Owner Bob Bacon and his family provided ample choices.

"Every year they are always looking for something different," he said stepping away from his sap evaporator for a moment. "This year we have maple-covered peanuts in there."

Steve Rancourt, 52, of Waterville passed up the peanuts. He came to the farm for his favorite Bacon Farm treat: whoopie pies flavored with maple syrup. He had two in his hands, one of them the size of a pie, and both were intact -- but not for long.

"I'm going to try to put a dent in it," he said of one of the whoopie pies.

Given his enthusiastic tone, he probably meant the larger one.

Art and Louella Grindle visited the Bacon Farm with children Tabitha, 7, and Connor, 4.

The Fairfield family had never before participated in Maine Maple Sunday.

"We thought before we realized it was Easter that we would do Maine Maple Sunday," Art Grindle said. "Then we realized it was Easter, but we said 'That's all right.'"

Bacon said business at his farm had been strong and steady all weekend.

The same could not be said of the sap from his maple trees. Bacon said the last three days had been too cold to get the sap flowing.

"We've saved all we could for the weekend," he said. "Fortunately, we have the storage capacity to do that here. We have not had a good run (of sap). We've been getting 400 to 500 gallons a day. We should be bringing in twice that."

Ideally, he said, temperatures fall below freezing at night and warm up to 40 with a light southerly breeze during the day. Those are the conditions that maximize maple-syrup production, he said.

For this day, though, Bacon was bracing for a late surge of customers.

"After people have their Easter dinner," he said, "this place will be mobbed."

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com