Mount Holly fest churns out cider with its 'new' press
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By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: October 11, 2009
MOUNT HOLLY – A decade ago, the old hand-crank steam press that crowds would gather around during Cider Days offered quite a different show – and just barely, at that.
"That press was held together on a wing and a prayer. It was really limping along," said Penny Coldwell, secretary of the Mount Holly Community Association, the group that more than 30 years ago informally began what's now an institution in the hilly southern Rutland County town.
Then, by a stroke of luck, Jen Dibble moved to the area and brought with her a 1903 hydraulic orchard press her grandfather had used at his orchard on Cape Cod. Each year, Dibble loaned the press to the association for its weekend-long celebration of autumn and cider – until this year.
This year, Dibble formally donated the green-and-yellow steel press to the Mount Holly Community Association and it was dedicated to the of John Graves, a past president of the association and former owner of the Belmont General Store, who was killed in an automobile accident about five years ago.
Despite the misty, raw Saturday morning weather, a small group including Graves' family kicked off Cider Days by gathering around the press on the Belmont village green for a dedication.
"He was a really great person who really loved the community," Coldwell said.
Fittingly, Cider Days has grown through the years to become the community association's largest fundraiser. Coldwell estimated that about 78 bushels of apples will be pressed this weekend, yielding about 225 gallons of autumn's staple beverage, which are on sale for $5 a piece.
Even that, however, is not enough to meet the demand. Coldwell said for the past few years the group has had to purchase about 200 additional gallons of cider from Brown's Orchard and Farm Stand in Castleton, which is also where they purchase their apples.
"The press is really for the demonstration," she said. "It couldn't handle the demand. … We have to pamper it."
The weekend's events – which continue from noon to 4 p.m. today – also feature more than 25 vendors on the village green and the town's wildly popular amateur photography competition, which seeks submissions of the best photos from around Mount Holly. The competition was started in 2003, and the following year the decision was made to create a calendar of the best submissions, as picked by viewers' votes. While 2010 calendars featuring the best photos from last year's competition are currently on sale, viewers still have the chance to cast their ballot today for the images that will make up the 2011 calendar.
This year, there are 104 submissions, according to Janet Warren, who oversees the competition.
"We usually have close to 400 people vote on their favorite photos and we sell about 200 calendars," she said. The calendars retail for $20, all of which goes toward charity efforts in the community. Ten dollars of the cost is tax deductible.
Although the photography competition is a relatively new tradition for the town, Warren said it has captured residents' imaginations.
"The difference in the quality of photos is unbelievable," she said. "Now, you don't see a lousy print. People have begun to think in terms of the months. I'll talk to someone and they'll say, oh my, wouldn't this make a great July photo?"
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