Volunteer photographer Amanda Crawford got this great shot of Ken Findley's antique cider press and the Troop 208 scouts

It takes a village to make a festival
by Virginia Bruce

The Cedar Mill Cider Festival was held on October 18 on the grounds of the John Quincy Adams Young House on Cornell. Despite a few morning sprinkles, our weather luck held for the third year and the afternoon even provided a few sunbreaks. Everyone who attended had a wonderful time, sipping fresh cider, chowing down on tasty barbecue sandwiches and apple crunch, tapping toes to the live music, and browsing the booths that provided information and items for sale.

Many people made it happen, from volunteers to local businesses and especially the experienced crew from Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, which owns the property. John Henshaw and his crew from the Maintenance Department set up a dozen picnic tables, nine canopies and various tables and chairs along with their stage for the band. They supplied plywood for the cider presses to sit on and for the floors of the food booths. Cheerful and competent, they even moved things around a few times to satisfy the picky event coordinator.

Lisa Novak, THPRD Superintendent of Programs and Special Activities, and Lynda Myers, Jenkins Estate Supervisor, made the whole thing possible when they supported the original idea three years ago, and offered THPRD sponsorship for the event.

Last-minute apple unloading. Bruce Bartlett in black vest. Photo by Amanda Crawford

Cider presses belonging to Roger Finger and Ken Findley were delivered to the site and set up early in the morning. Boy Scouts from Troop 208 arrived to get the presses running. This has become an annual event for the troop. Scoutmaster Jim Crawford, who took over from Curtis Lipski, helped coordinate their work along with many scout parent volunteers and other family members.

Bales Thriftway persuaded one of their produce wholesalers to donate 650 pounds of apples for the cider and arranged for delivery, but a last-minute glitch sent cider coordinator Bruce Bartlett and helpers running to the store to get the dozens of boxes of apples. They arrived just in time to put cups of fresh cider into the hands of our first visitors, the Cedar Mill Bible Church folks who get out of church and are welcomed early to the event at 12:30.

Once the Bible Church parking lot begins to empty out, the event opens to the public at 1 pm. It seemed like everyone arrived at once, pouring in through the parking lot and quickly finding their way to the ticket tables to purchase food. Costco donated bottled water which was sold as a fundraiser for the restoration of the JQA Young House.

Costco and other Cedar Mill Business Association members manned booths offering information and samples of their offerings, including Kay Bridges with Nikken, Sunset Animal Clinic, Sandy Sahagian Portraiture, Pars Market, Westside Music, World of Smiles, and last but not least Beth Giles of NW Organizing Solutions, who used her organizing skills to coordinate the CMBA booths.

CMBA member Mireille Nett of Couleurs de Provence sold her lovely fabrics. Dinihanian Farms sold containers of cider and fresh veggies and gave out information about their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that they run at their Farm Market on Cornell near Oak Hills.

Other community organizations providing information were the Cedar Mill Farmers’ Market, the Cedar Mill Bible Church, the Cedar Mill Community Library, and Washington County NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

Carol Sayre, a member of the Burnt Ends team, serves up a pulled pork sandwich

Ida Viper once again provided the music for the event. Leader Mark Pettys was home with a bad back, but Brian Oberlin played his mandolin and two other band members rounded out the great sounds.

Burnt Ends BBQ Team provided chopped brisket and pulled pork sandwiches from the big portable grill that wafted yummy-smelling smoke across Cornell. They also had grilled hot dogs for the kids.

Leedy Grange members baked 10 pans of apple crunch, an appealing concoction of cooking apples from Dinihanians and oatmeal, butter, sugar and spices. They served it up with ice cream and coffee.

Visitors and booth operators donated over $200 to the JQA Young House fund of the Tualatin Hills Park Foundation. Funds are being collected to renovate the house so it can be open to visitors for meetings and events and most importantly as a resource for learning about the real pioneer history that the house and grounds embody. More information about the effort is on the Friends of the JQA Young House website at jqayounghouse.org.

Volunteers from the Cedar Mill Garden Club manned the “history tent,” providing information on the house and the fundraising effort. They handed out a reprint of the JQA Young article from the Cedar Mill News that was provided by Tim Kimble of the UPS Store.

Bernie Young enjoys the lunch and doings at his great grandfathers house. He's a member of the Friends of the JQA Young House fundraising committee. Photo by Jeanine Claar

Impact Sign Company made a heroic effort in providing new billboards for the front of the house, and directional signs for parking at the last minute. They also made the two large banners that advertised the event on Cornell.

Bob Wayt, THPRD Superintendent of Public Information, got the word out with press releases and website updates. Local PR guy Bob Dye contacted TV and radio stations. We had visits from both KGW and KATU and were featured on the evening news. Polygon Homes donated the ad that appeared in the Oregonian’s Washington County Weekly edition. Two volunteer photographers, along with Bob Dye, took lots of photos so we’ll be able to distribute them with next year’s press materials.

The Cedar Mill Bible Church generously donates use of their parking lot every year – we couldn’t do it without them. Additionally, CMBC volunteers manned the ticket tables.

If I left anyone out, I apologize. But you see, it takes a village to make a Festival! And a big thanks to everyone who attended. If you let the weather forecast keep you away this year, please plan to attend next year. You’ll be glad you did, and we “promise” good weather again!

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