Memberships in the Friends of MacKenzie come up for renewal each January. You can use the form at the end of this post or find one in our brochure. Even though many of you contribute many volunteer hours (which makes a huge difference in keeping the Center running and enabling the friends to do so many things), you might also wish to become a member.
The dues help fund scholarships for schools and other groups when they come to MacKenzie for day and over night trips (often used for transportation costs). It also is used directly for materials for projects like replacing the roof on the log cabin museum, safety improvements for our hay wagon, purchasing bird feeding supplies, improvements to the wildlife area, and so much more. Please consider renewing or becoming a new member today.
Online membership form for 2025 is available.
Membership dues are as follows:
Family – $40.00 Individual – $30.00 Life (Individual) – $300.00
Set up for the fest will be Friday, April 3 at 9:00. Meet by the Finishing House to plan out jobs.
Maple Fest April 4th from 9 AM to 2 PM
Saturday, April 4 8:00 – NOON – BREAKFAST at the Lodge $10 per person, $5 for under 13.
- Volunteers should report about 7:30. (Or, about 20 minutes before your afternoon shift)
- Parking for volunteers will be behind the fence beyond the Administration Building.
- Sign in at the Finishing House. Get your name tag, donut, and coffee or hot chocolate.
- Interested in any of these positions? Please contact Rachel Padour at 608-635-8112 and Linda Finn at Lf46finn@gmail.com.
| Positions | Number Volunteers Needed | First Shift
8:30 to 10:45 (varies) | Second Shift
10:45 to 2:00 (varies) |
| Golf cart Shuttle driver | 2 | Filled | Filled |
| Vehicle Greeters at entrance | 5 | 1 | Filled |
| Check-in tent (front lawn of admin) | 1 | Filled | 0 |
| Crossing guards at intersection by the house | 2
| filled | 1 |
| Parking attendants at the lodge parking lot | 3 | filled | 1 |
| Badger Den Video Operator/Welcome (inside) | 2 | Filled | 1 |
| Badger Den Guides | 7 | Filled | 1 |
| Badger Den Parking Attendants | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Lower End Coordinator | Reggie Finn | | |
| Crossing guards at lodge parking lot | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Ticket Booth & Quilt Raffle (garage) | 4 | filled | filled |
| Ticket Booth & Quilt Raffle (log cabin) | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 50/50 Raffle | 1 (all day) | Filled | |
| Concession Stand Coordinator | Joanne Johnson &
Peter Hill | | |
| Maple Syrup Sales Booth | 4 | Filled | Filled |
| Antique Engine Station | 2 (all day) | Filled | Filled |
| Ice Cream/Maple Sundae Booth | 6 | Filled | Filled |
| Concession Stand Workers | 10 | Filled | 1
|
| Concession Stand Food Runner | 1 (8:45 to 2:00) | Filled | 0 |
| Popcorn Makers | 4 | Filled | 2 |
| Hot Chocolate/Coffee | 1 (8:45 to 2:00) | Filled | Filled |
| Bake Sales/Syrup Booth | 2 | Filled | Filled |
| Gift Shop Sales | 3 | Filled | Filled |
| Start Fires | 1 (7:30) | Filled | |
| Ciporoke Interpreter | 2 | Filled | Filled |
| Clay Pot Interpreter | 2 | Filled | Filled |
| Kettles Interpreter | 2 | Filled | Filled |
| Backyard Demo Interpreter | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Sugar Shack Interpreter | 2 | Filled | Filled |
| Finishing House Interpreter | 2 | Filled
| Filled |
| Horse Wagon Ride Helpers | 2 (10:00 to 2:00) | Filled | Filled |
| Horse Drawn Wagon Guides | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Furs/Skulls Table | 2 | DNR | DNR |
If you are bringing cookies for the bake sale, they can be taken to the Finishing House on Friday, April 4th from 9-1 or to the bake sale table on Saturday after 7:30.
Clean up will be on Monday, April 6 at 9:00. Spring cleaning will be happening. All the stuff will be cleaned out from the garage and the finishing house. All the buckets and spiles have to be washed, all the tents put away, and everything from Maple Fest tucked away for another year.
Breakfast for the volunteers is tentatively on April 6th at 10 am. The syrup will be passed out to those who have earned it.
Again, Thank you all so much for your dedication to the Maple Program, and we cannot wait to see everyone during that weekend!
Sincerely,
MacKenzie Staff and the Friends of MacKenzie
To all members and those who have an interest in the MacKenzie Center.
Greetings and Happy New Year!
Annual meeting
Thursday, January 22, 2026
at the MacKenzie Center Lodge
W7303 County CS and Q
Poynette, WI 53955
4:45 – Registration
5:15 – Bison dinner
6:15 – Business meeting for the members
Cost for dinner: $15.00 per person
Pay at the door (cash or check) or send in advance to:
Friends of MacKenzie
P.O. Box 225
Poynette, WI 53955
Hope to see you there!
Friends of MacKenzie Board
Before you discard your Christmas tree to the curb, please consider donating it to the animals at the MacKenzie Center. Christmas trees are a favorite enrichment item for most of the animals here at MacKenzie. It gives them an opportunity to explore new smells, observe a new item, play with them, or use them as a shelter where they can hide next to or under.
If you do decide to donate your Christmas tree, please make sure that all of your ornaments and their hanging wire hooks, and strings are off to prevent any injury to the animals. Also, some of our animals may consider tasting the trees, so please no trees that have being sprayed with fire retardant chemicals or any other hazardous materials.
You can drop off the trees by the back entrance of the wildlife area and our wildlife technicians will pick them up and bring them up to the animals.
Thank you!
Attached a few photos of our two foxes playing around a donated Christmas from previous years.
DNR speech on April 7, 2025 at Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
We have completed an incredibly successful Maple Season. Because of your hard work, dedication, knowledge, and passion for this place, the MacKenzie Center is able to bring the sweetness of the season to our community every year. Without you, we could not accomplish this. Thank you.
We educate students about the biology and heritage of maple sugaring for 5 weeks every year. 57 volunteers contributed to Maple Education. Thank you Guides, Interpreters, Makers, and Coordinators for your talents, positive attitudes, and amazing commitment to this effort.
This year, we served 1,034 students in Maple Education sessions.
Thank you, Sap Collectors, Cookers, and Finishers! You make the season extra sweet. This year, 110 trees were tapped, 1,632 gallons of sap were collected, and 252 pints of syrup was made over 16 days of production. This equates to 31.5 gallons of syrup.
The best day of the year at the MacKenzie Center came on April 5th, Maple Festival. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make this very special day run smoothly. We had over 2,012 visitors come to experience and enjoy our Maple Festival.
Thank you to everyone who helped plan for and volunteer during the Pancake Breakfast, including the Lake Wisconsin Lion’s Club members. This was a huge undertaking. Thank you for bringing back the delicious meal for the first time since 2019! During Maple Festival, nearly 800 people were served breakfast.
Maple Festival and Maple Education would not be possible without you, the passionate and dedicated volunteers. 129 people volunteered during Maple Season. Your combined efforts totaled 2,319 ¼ hours of volunteering. I have been absolutely astounded by the sheer number of volunteers and level of commitment you all display. I am proud to work with such an amazing group of people. From directing traffic to tapping trees to flipping pancakes, everyone pitched in to make the 2025 Maple Season a grand success. Thank you, volunteers!!
Great article in Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine about the maple program at MacKenzie! Begins on p. 16.
The MacKenzie Center is open Sunday-Saturday from dawn to dusk. THe Wildlife Exhibit, Museums, and Administration Building Restrooms are open from 10 am – 4 pm daily. Museum and indoor restrooms are open! There are also four kiosks around the property to aid visitors during their exploration of the MacKenzie Center.
