When I was a kid, my parents would take me to the annual Festival du Bois: the "largest francophone event west of the Rockies". I have fond memories of it mainly because of the silly frog hats, but especially because of la tire d'érable. It's called maple taffy in English, but that doesn't do it justice. La tire d'érable directly translates as "the pull of maple" and when you pour maple syrup onto a mound of snow to let it harden, you get a deliciously sticky treat that you can pull off the stick like you would stretch a piece of gum out of your mouth. That visual might not paint a pretty picture, but it's the closest thing to a piece of heaven-on-a-stick that you will ever get.
As an adult, the Festival du Bois still boasts a selection of funny frog hats and a myriad of plaid-clad festival goers. But of course, something I never noticed as a kid, most of them are adults, and most of them are there for the terrific music. They bring in artists from all over Canada who put on great shows over the duration of the festival. I got the chance to witness a more intimate performance, held in the living room of a house-turned-museum from 1909, where of a group of five artists played together for the first time! With standing room only, it gave the feeling of being cozily circled around a (vintage) coffee table with good friends.