MERRILL, Maine — Apples of varying sizes and sweetness were squeezed Sept. 27 into fresh organic cider during Apple Cider Day at Merrill Millstream Park. This inaugural event was well attended, as several families from Merrill, Smyrna, Island Falls, Oakfield, Linneus and Houlton brought their freshly picked and washed apples for grinding.
Approximately 10 families showed up Sunday afternoon to have access to a cider press, leaving with a gallon or more of fresh sweet cider. The cider press was provided by Benjamin Bustard, a second-year student in the fine woodworking and cabinet making program at Eastern Maine Community College.
When asked about his motive for making the cider press, Bustard explained, “The traditional cider press is just not readily available to the average person. In fact, you don’t even see many like you might have years ago. So, I decided to build one and make it available. In years past, towns would have a cider press, like a grain mill, and people would come together. This not only provided a means to process their crops, but was a great way for the community to come together and socialize. I saw the apple cider press as a way to revive this tradition.”
The Merrill Millstream Park Committee promoted the event on Facebook, but did not print flyers or advertise on other media. Ken Bustard, the MMP Committee chair, explained that they were unsure what the turnout might be.
“Frankly, we didn’t know how many people or bushels of apples might show up,” he said. “As it turned out, we had pretty much the perfect response and got a good sense of how long it takes to process various amounts of apples. Everyone participating seemed to be unsure themselves, as only one person even had experience grinding apples into cider. So, it was a learning experience for all of us. The thing that was most refreshing was seeing everyone just hanging around, watching the process, and helping each other grind their apples. The grinding process was a little more labor intensive than some may have expected. So, seeing everyone taking turns and helping each other out was great.”
According to Bustard, approximately 23 gallons of cider were processed. “Most people gathered wild apples, while a few purchased their apples,” he said. “Each batch proved to have its own unique flavor, depending on the particular variety of apples used.”
The favorite batch of the day, stated Bustard, was from apples brought by Jerry Crandall of Oakfield.
“Jerry brought apples and pears, and we ground a 50/50 mixture,” he said. “The pears really took the tartness out of the apples and made just the most flavorful, smooth drink imaginable. Everyone was raving about it.”
The MMP Committee discussed the event at its October meeting and decided to not only make it an annual event, but develop it into a Fall Festival. “One committee member, Kathy Hall of Moro, came up with the idea of doing pumpkin painting,” explained Bustard. “This got an immediate endorsement from everyone on the park committee. We discussed doing donuts in a Dutch oven, and other things we could do to make it a multi-faceted fall event, bringing our community together. I guess our first task, though, is to begin thinking about where we can get our hands on lots and lots of pumpkins next year.”
Currently, the MMP Committee organizes a spring canoe race in May, a Vintage Car Cruise-In in August, the Christmas-In-The-Park the first week of December and a vintage snowmobile event in February. This past September, they also held their first Movie Night at the park with free drinks and popcorn. Anyone interested in any of the events or getting involved can call the Merrill town office (757-8286) or Ken Bustard, Chairman of the park committee (659-2018 or email accountingcoach@gmail.com)
