Pie festival is apple of Cabot's eye

Author: Kelly Janis

Simmering apple slices embedded in a flaky crust were the order of the day at the Cabot Apple Pie Festival, held last weekend at the Cabot School in Cabot, Vt.

"It's about pie, lots of apple pie," said volunteer Carla Payne. "All homemade."

The annual event - one of the crowning markers of autumn in this tiny Washington County town of approximately 1,200 residents - is the Cabot Historical Society's sole fundraiser, and as such demands that the organization rise to the task of ensuring its success.

"The whole town pitches in, whether they're a member of the Historical Society or not," said event chair Bonnie Danmenberg. "Everybody loves the Apple Pie Festival."

This collective affinity for the festival contributes, in large part, to its continual expansion.

"They started this eight years ago," said Mary Beth Churchill, one of the event's key committee members. "At first, it was just an apple pie festival. And then it started growing and growing."

Now, in addition to indulging in warm, gooey apple pie produced by the town's most skillful bakers, festival-goers enjoy a craft fair, raffle, silent auction, apple tasting station, live band and magician, as well as horse drawn wagon rides and an ax throwing and sawing demonstration.

The apple pie contest, however, remains the crux of the event.

"[Contest entries] need to be traditional, two crust apple pies," Danmenberg said. "First they're judged on appearance, and second on crust, and then filling."

Gift certificates, King Arthur cookbooks and handmade blue ribbons are awarded in three age categories, consisting of first through sixth graders, seventh through 12th graders and adults. Danmenberg's favorite part of the contest, she said, is watching the young winners accept their accolades.

"We try to give as many kids a prize as we can," she said. "They get so excited when they win."

Cabot resident Rusty Churchill witnessed this youthful enthusiasm firsthand as he operated an apple press on the school's lawn.

Several children - their faces adorned with apples and balloons from a face painting stand located down the road - were eager to pitch in, shoveling apples into the press as they gushed about the anticipated result.

"Just drop it in the top," Churchill instructed the growing crowd of young revelers. "There you go. See that? It's coming out the bottom, all squashed up."

A chorus of enchanted "wow"s rang out in the crisp fall air.

"Once we get these all in there, we'll press them," Churchill said.

"I like apple cider," a young girl announced.

"You like apple cider?" Churchill said with a smile.

"I drink it every day at school," the girl said.

"It's good for 'ya," Churchill said.

"We're making cider!" the girl shouted to her mother. "Come up and see!"

"It's a very small-scale operation," Churchill told the woman, gesturing toward the press. "This is Cedric Alexander's."

In true small-town fashion, the woman knew immediately to whom Churchill was referring, and nodded appreciatively.

"Well, no chemicals added to this cider," the children's father said, approaching the press.

"No, sir, no chemicals," Churchill said. "This is fresh."

"Where does one go to buy a cup of this Ö"

Churchill interrupted: "It's free, right in there on the table," he said, pointing inside the gym's breezeway to a spread of cookies and cider.

"This is a pretty popular event," Churchill said as he ground apples for the next batch of refreshments. "It brings a lot of people to our small town."