COLCHESTER, ILL. -- It was cold, but sweet, Saturday at Argyle Lake State Park's Maple Syrup Festival

Hundreds of people braved the cold throughout the day.

They took hay rides out to some maple trees to learn how to get sap.

Another station showed how to boil the sap once it's collected.

You could also buy the finished product and participate in arts and crafts.

The whole process takes about eight hours and a lot more sap than you would think.

"It takes about 40 gallons of sap to get one gallon of syrup. So, it's an all day operation, and we'll get about one gallon today," said Bill Knox with the Friends of Argyle Lake.

Western Illinois Students were there volunteering throughout the day.