Spring is on its way!

WOW! And WOW again! What a fun and exhilarating CiderFest! The weather window Vor promised arrived right on cue as setup began. Apple washers were washing, presses were humming & hot cider aroma was wafting through the Village as the first band struck up his foot-tapping rhythm and dancers hit the green. Children laughed & played while the community congregated to enjoy apple crisp & cider while greeting friends, old and new. The crowning touch was the joy of watching Kristine dance with the children. A glorious day! I hope during your work shift you had a great time too. It would not have gone so smoothly without all of your help. It truly takes a village to create a successful community event. THANK YOU for being a part of the Fruit Club family.

Details will follow but I believe it’s safe to say we pressed over 5000 pounds of apples with another 1100 or so still in reserve for a soon-to-be-announced club pressing. Cider and crisp sales appear to be the best ever. New members joined, t-shirts were sold, 7 boxes of quince donated by Tom Spring were given away at the Information Booth. NEW THIS YEAR: live music by 3 local bands, dancing on the green, recycling expert, Diane Emerson’s Recycling Tent w/ hands-on sorting/cleaning of the trash/recyclables & educational info, Emily MacRae (tree orders) & Dr. Bob Norton (Apple ID) joined us at the Village and seating/tables for guests to enjoy their food, music and conversation.

During your shift(s) each of you was in a unique position to observe what worked well & what could be improved upon. We welcome your feedback. We want to stay relevant and efficient while having fun. Please take a moment to reply to this email with your comments.

The Apple Donors

CiderFest is not possible without the generosity of our apple donors. Our donors’ trees provided bumper crops this year:

Hal and Molly Green
Mark Nassutti
Steve and Nancy Rose
John Cornelison and Kim Farrell
Jeff and Claire Bronson
Will and Karen Lockwood
Tom Spring
Joe Curiel and Tony Raugust
Rachel Petrich

The Press Donors

CiderFest is not possible without the generosity of our press donor:

Robert and Margot Powell, Meadow Creature LLC

CiderFest is not possible without our village of dedicated volunteers:

Team Leaders

Jerry Gehrke & Ron Weston for their months of planning and days of hands-on picking, hauling, loading, supervising and just plain working as though it was the Iron Man finals
Rick Edwards for supervising the food & beverage sales and volunteers at the Sales Booth
Emily MacRae & Dr Bob Norton for tree sales and apple ID, respectively
Dan Connolly, Crew Chief for all 3 shifts of the cider pressing
Al Habbestad for directing traffic/parking for the entire day
Diane Emerson for handling the sorting/cleaning of trash/recyclables so guests could enjoy their time without having to worry about placing something in the wrong bin.
Phil McMullin for budgets & financials
Vor Hostetler for setup/take down
Vor Hostetler & Kristine Gregonis for the sound system & musicians, respectively
Kristine Gregonis for the Photo Op Zone
Charon Scott-Goldman for the Information Booth
David Husch for managing the rental of the cider press for members before and after CiderFest

The Teams

Picking: Jerry Gehrke, David Husch, Glenn Gray, Roger Newby, Willow Dean, Phil McMullin, Russ Carey, Bryce Battisti, Dan Connolly, Walter Weston, Elizabeth Boutin, Deborah Diamond, Linda Swartz
Prep, Setup & Take Down:Randolph Farrar, Randee Blackstone, Bob Blackstone, Bob Dixon, Will Lockwood, Adam Atwell, Evan Simmons, Jonathan Stevens, Richard Janke, George Thieme, Bryce Battisti, Doug Tuma, Hartmut Reimnitz, Hooper Havekotte, Gene Carlson, Tom Spring, Roger Newby, Ann Nicklason, Bob Faine, Mike Ligrano, Joe Orint, Bernie O’Malley, Tom Brenner, Kathy Ostrom, Doug Ostrom, David Husch, Hans Hahne, Rachel Petrich, Rachel Osborn, Vor Hostetler, Peter Reynen, Laura Weston, Marcia Summers, Kim Kambak
Crisp Bakers:Anne Woodward, Rick Edwards, Susan Powell, Sarah Powell, Kathi Saunders, Cheryl Grunbock, Susan Keatts, Mike Kleer, David Husch, Marlyce Dixon, Mark Musick, Phil McMullin, Carol Bonifaci, Emily MacRae, Ann Guss, Nan Leiter, Marianne Twyman, Frank Gerber, Elizabeth Boutin, Kristine Gregonis, Hans Hahne, Lotus, Joyce Hunziker, Tom Land
Cider & Crisp Sales:Krystle Furtwangler, Sue Ellen Staggs, Mike Kleer, Nan Leiter, Anne Woodward, Carol Eggen, Charon Scott-Goldman, Mary Faine, Susan Powell, Linera Lucus, Elizabeth Boutin, He’re Thieme, Kathi Sanders, Glenn Gray, Russ Carey, John Riley, Michael Antee, Maggie Aspland, Phil McMullin
Apple Boxes:Bernie O’Malley donated (200) apple boxes.
Poster/Flyer:Tracy Barrett
VIFC Facebook:Deborah Epstein
Vashonites, Vashon All, Vashon Maury All, VIFC Facebook; VIFC website; VIFC e-blasts:Kristine Gregonis
Information Booth:Charon Scott-Goldman, Marianne Twyman, Anne Woodward, Phil McMullin, Elizabeth Vogt, Kim Kambak
Photo Op Zone:Hans Hahne, Dr Bob Norton, Kristine Gregonis
Sanitation Wash Station:Doug Snyder of Ace Hardware donated the rental cost of the required coffee urns.

And a special THANK YOU to those who volunteered to stay to help clean up after the event: David Husch, Russ Carey, Glenn Gray, Jerry Gehrke, Vor Hostetler, Mike Ligrano, Elizabeth Vogt, Candy McCullough, Rachel Osborn.

And an extra special THANK YOU to Jim Marsh & The Vashon-Maury Island Chamber of Commerce for the use of Vashon Village, the Chamber restrooms, power for the bands & PR.

Yours, Charon Scott-Goldman, President