CiderFest includes record number of apples this year

Vashon Island Fire Rescue will also host its annual open house at Station 55 on Bank Road.

By Susan Riemer • October 2, 2019 1:30 am
CiderFest makes the most of the island’s apple harvest, with activities for islanders of all ages (Courtesy Photo).
CiderFest makes the most of the island’s apple harvest, with activities for islanders of all ages (Courtesy Photo).

The island will celebrate CiderFest on Saturday with a wide range of activities and 7,000 of pounds of apples — a record — and all just picked from island apple orchards

The Vashon Island Fruit Club will press Vashon-grown apples and sell fresh cider and homemade apple crisps between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Vashon Village across from the Vashon Library. Kids will get a chance to press apples with the kids’ press.

Vashon Island Fruit Club experts Emily MacRae and Dr. Bob Norton will be on hand to help islanders identify their mystery apples. Guests are welcome to bring three to four samples of each for identifying. The fruit club will be also take orders for trees specially selected to grow well on Vashon.

There will be live music most of the day, and apple cider donuts for sale from the Vashon Island Baking Company.

In the Village Green, the Farmers Market will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with local farm harvests in full swing.

Tasting room and orchard tours will also be part of the day. Dragon’s Head Cider, at 18201 107th Ave. SW, will offer a tour at 10 a.m. and keep its tasting room open until 5 p.m. Nashi Orchards at 16906 107th Ave. SW, will keep its tasting room open until 5 p.m. as well and offer an 11 a.m. orchard tour at 25407 Wax Orchard Rd.

The Vashon Chamber of Commerce and the Vashon Island Grower’s Association Food Access Partnership will host Vashon Heritgage Cider Tasting between 1 and 6 p.m. at Vashon Village. The event will be a fundraiser for both organizations. The entrance fee is $25 and includes a CiderFest tasting glass and five tickets for tasting the various ciders. This event is for people 21 years old and older only. The tasting event will feature ciders from orchard-based cideries that focus on selecting high quality and local apple varieties for their ciders. Dragon’s Head Cider, Nashi Orchards, Vashon Winery, Alpenfire, Cockrell Hard Cider, Whitewood Cider, Snowdrift Cider,and Liberty Ciderworks will be there.

Food by Gravy and Bramble House will also be offered.

As is tradition, Vashon Island Fire & Rescue will host its open house on the same day at Station 55 on Bank Road. The event typically draws many island families to visit with fire and rescue staff, try out bouncy houses, sit in fire trucks and see a demonstration from the Airlift Northwest helicopter, which is expected to land at noon, weather permitting.