October 1, 2008

Katie Berry of Stewartstown, New Hampshire, maneuvers her horse Razz through the gymkhana course on Saturday. Photos by Richard Creaser

BARTON — Uncooperative weather did not diminish the passion of the participants at the Octoberfest celebration at Roaring Brook Park over the weekend.  Vendors and event participants alike conspired to make the first, of what many hope will be an annual event, a success.

“It’s a pretty good turnout in spite of the weather,” Bryce Elliott of Barton said as he ran his old-fashioned cider press.  “I think if the forecast had been a bit better we’d see more people.”

Mr. Elliott demonstrated the ancient art of cider-making for any and all to behold.  Though not quite a display of alchemy, turning apples into a delicious harvest beverage remains a process steeped in tradition.  Mr. Elliott said he prefers to use a variety of apples in his cider, extruding the best flavors from each type of apple.

“You can use pretty near any kind of apple,” he said.  “I like to use some wild apples to give it a little bite.”

Mr. Elliott picks the apples a few days in advance.  This allows the juices to begin to pool, facilitating the extraction process.  With a few turns of the

Bryce Elliott of Barton demonstrates the ancient art of cider making.

chopper and some judicious squeezing of the press, the golden elixir that is cider issues forth, ready to drink.

Once extracted, the cider has a number of uses, depending on how quickly you plan to enjoy them.  The cider is drinkable immediately or it may be allowed to ferment to produce hard cider.

“As long as you keep it cool, it keeps for quite a while,” Mr. Elliott said.

Fermented cider can then be aged further to eventually produce vinegar.  Nothing needs to go to waste, he said.  The apple pulp can also be used as animal food.  It is particularly delectable to cows, chickens and pigs, he added.

A few dozen feet away from Mr. Elliott, Bill Stevens and Lake Region Union High School FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America) member Justin Darling of Glover transforms logs into usable timber.  Using the sawmill is merely one of the skills students cultivate through the program, Mr. Stevens said.

“The boards we’re cutting here will be used around the fairgrounds,” Mr. Stevens said.  “At Lake Region, we cut wood and use it for repairs and building sheds or birdhouses.”

Though only in eighth grade, young Justin manipulates the sawmill with practiced ease.  He is equally skilled at using the tractor to load a new batch of logs onto the mill.

FFA student Justin Darling of Glover demonstrates the use of the FFA’s portable sawmill.

Mr. Stevens sighed as he observed the less than perfect condition of one of the logs.  With several swirls and curves, even a skilled operator would be hard-pressed to salvage more than a few usable boards from the tree.

“You work with what you have,” he said.

Over in the horse arena, riders young and old put themselves and their mounts through the gymkhana course.  Katie Berry of Stewartstown, New Hampshire, tried her hand at the course.

The object of this particular event is to transfer rods between a pair of buckets.  The rider must angle by the first bin, withdraw the rod, and drop it off in the second bin before taking the second rod and moving it back as quickly as possible.  Though Ms. Berry experienced some trouble with the first rod, she made up ground on the second obstacle and rode away having completed her task in 34 seconds.

Over at the pulling arena Issac Surridge of Sheffield prepared his pony team for the next round of competition.  Though only ten years old, Issac is no greenhorn in the pulling arena.  He has grown up around work ponies his entire life and handles his team and tack with a facility borne of years of practice.

The two ponies are hardly new to competitive pulling.  Sixteen-year-old pony Mitch entered his last competition at Octoberfest.  Though six years

Ten-year-old Issac Surridge of Sheffield makes some last-minute adjustments to the pulling harness of his pony Buck. Though new to competitive pulling, Issac has spent his entire life around draft ponies and pulling.

younger than his pulling partner Buck, Mitch is retiring from competition, Issac said.

The attraction of horse and pony pulls is strong in Issac.  When he isn’t pulling in competitions such as at the Orleans County Fair, he enjoys working the team back home on the farm.  He is also a visible presence in the pulling arena.

“I just like being around it,” he acknowledged.  “I’m always helping out around the ring.  I’m a bit like my dad.”

Across the fairgrounds the roar of engines and plumes of smoke marked Saturday’s tractor pull.  Though the participating tractors might be antiques, their drivers know that their useful days are far from over.

Harvey Cleveland of Brownington sat proudly atop his Allis Chalmers D21, a metallic behemoth from yesteryear.  The mighty tractor pulled the log-laden sledge as easily as a child his toboggan.

Mr. Cleveland’s first attempt at a heavily loaded sledge didn’t turn out quite as successful as he might have hoped.  The sled bears the weight of four cords of lumber, which, added to the weight of the sled itself, is close to 25,000 pounds.  On the first attempt, the big D21 moved the sled 51 feet and 11 inches.  The sled returned to its starting position, and Mr. Cleveland hooked up for a second try.

Harvey Cleveland of Brownington, sitting atop his mighty Allis Chalmers D21, battles against weight and gravity to haul 25,000 pounds of timber during the Octoberfest tractor pull. Mr. Cleveland’s best pull hauled the log-laden sledge more than 76 feet in the 16,000-pound class.

In a haze of smoke and amidst the rumble of machinery, the second pull was much better.  Though unable to haul the load the entire 100-foot distance, the second attempt yielded an impressive 76-foot, three-inch haul.

To the applause of the event’s observers, Mr. Cleveland retired from the field.  In the battle of machine versus inertia, inertia won, this time.  The passion of a man for his tractor suggests that the old Allis Chalmers has not yet seen her final pull.