Mill Pond after-school program celebrates harvest

9 years ago

HODGDON, Maine — On Oct. 22, 2015, Mill Pond After-School Program (ASP) held its first parent engagement of the school year in conjunction with a national “Lights On” event.  

Every year across the United States 21st Century funded out-of-school programs are encouraged to participate in this celebration, which, promotes the importance of quality after-school programs in the lives of children, families, and communities.

This year’s focus was a harvest theme. Students participated in activities set up and run by the After-School Program staff, such as apple volcanoes, where they were taught how the simple chemistry of adding vinegar and baking soda caused a reaction resulting in a volcano like flow.  Students also did leaf rubbing and gained an appreciation for the changing of the seasons, as well as how the texture of a leave could be used to create a beautiful relief. The artwork and activities were a hit!

Top billing at this event were Ken and Benjamin Bustard and their apple cider press. Tom Vicaire, the new assistant principal and coordinator at the school, explained how everything unfolded for this presentation.  

“It all began when a Houlton Pioneer Times article discussing the Bustards and their press was brought to my attention,” Vicaire said. “I called Maine Family Resource Center, the fiscal agent and director of the program and asked if we could have these gentlemen come and demonstrate this to the students. The contact was made and they readily agreed to show up to our school site. Ken just happened to be at his place in Merrill.”  

Bustard’s son Benjamin, who built the press, drove up from Bucksport with his friend Ivan, to assist his father in the demonstration.

Fliers were sent home to parents encouraging them to pick apples with their children and come to the event with empty jugs in hand. It just so happened that the school has some apple trees on the back of their property. Several different days the students went out and picked apples to use in this demonstration.  

“The apple trees had not been sprayed, so the apples were not exactly pretty like store bought apples, but they made fantastic cider,” Vicaire reported.  Ken Bustard shared that the wilder the apples the better tasting the cider.

Students eagerly stepped forward to engage in this hands-on activity, adding apples into the hopper where they were ground into a pulp. A wooden plate was placed on top of the pulp, and students took turns turning the press. The juices were forced out through a tube and into a bucket.  At first students were reluctant to taste the sweet liquid.  However, once a few sampled others came forward.  

Some students didn’t want to drink any, fearing they wouldn’t be able to take home samples to their families. Benjamin Bustard praised them for their desire to share with their parents, who couldn’t attend, but told them there would be plenty of juice to taste and take home.  At the end of the demonstration, students gathered round for additional information on keeping their cider cold and how it could be pasteurized, if they so desired.