SMYRNA, Maine — The Smyrna-Merrill Historical Society will host its inaugural “Apple Cider Day” on Sunday, Oct. 8. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the society’s building, which is the old Methodist church on U.S. Route 2 in Smyrna.
This event was held the two previous years at Merrill Millstream Park and received great response from community members.
Ken Bustard of Bucksport will have his cider press, which was hand-crafted by his son Benjamin. Participants are asked to bring whatever apples, berries or pears they wish to press into fresh cider. They will need containers for the cider as well.
While later than normal, this is the earliest date the event could be held due to scheduling issues. Bustard encourages anyone who wishes to participate to pick wild apples any time between now and October, and keep them in a cool place
“There is such an abundance of wild apples in our area that are just falling on the ground and rotting,” Bustard said. “You should avoid the ones that are already on the ground. You should wash your apples as well. Don’t be fussy about what the apples look like. They all make great cider.”
There is just the one cider press, thus people will use it on a first come first served basis.
“There have been times in the past two years when some people have brought a lot of apples, so we do some, then give others a chance, and come back to the other apples as time permits,” Bustard said. “The great thing about this event has been how people help each other out and just enjoy the time and pressing process.”
There is no cost, and the Smyrna-Merrill Historical society will have food for sale. For more information, you can contact Ken Bustard at 659-2018 or Ralph Bartman at 694-5458.
