Despite a chilly start to the morning the Fall Apple Day at the Keremeos Grist Mill was a huge success. Several hundred visitors attended the event from throughout the Okanagan, with visitors from as far afield as the Lower Mainland.

The main event, the apple pie baking contest, drew a record number of entries, with fifteen local home bakers showing of their culinary prowess. The judges, Mayor Walter Despot, RCMP Constable Cory Hendricks and local apple farmer Sally Mennell had a tough task deciding the winner based on a range of attributes including overall appearance and flavour, pastry texture and apple selection. Only two points out of a possible 60 separated the top three pies. This year’s winner was Yvonne Kosugi who is newly arrived in the valley and decided to enter the contest at the last minute, bringing her pie hot out of the oven!

Another exciting event was the first ever apple race down the mill creek. Each entrant carefully selected their apple based on its hydrodynamic properties, marked their name on it and launched their craft off the bridge. The apples bobbed down the creek to the finish line downstream. Some were caught up early in the swirls and eddies, others steering a straight path to apparent victory only to be pipped at the line by a dark horse hugging the stream edge. Winner in the ladies category was Joyce Fauteux, who narrowly beat her daughter Jo-Jo. Jaden Conroy won the children’s race and the mill Curator Jim Millar used his local knowledge of the mill stream currents to emerge as victor in the men’s category.

Entertainment throughout the afternoon was provided by Joyce Fauteux and the Similkameen Senior Singers and by Summerland duo, the appropriately named “Hot Apple Pie” (Ernie Sykes and Jack Sevy). Hot Apple Pie, who performed outside despite frozen fingers, and then entertained the audience into the late afternoon in the Mill café, kindly donated their appearance fee to help this fund-raising event.

This was the last event this season to be organized by the Grist Mill Heritage Club, and with the generous support of the local community over $2,000 has been raised this year to help fund much needed repairs and maintenance at the mill.

The day could not have been the success it was without the help of many volunteers, too numerous to mention individually, but nonetheless greatly appreciated. Our particular thanks go to Barb and Walter Despot and Pat and Jeff Rowe for their sterling service on the grill. Valu Plus provided three pies courtesy of Ron the baker and has been a staunch supporter of the mill throughout the year.

Fred Danenhower, local director of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association provided a table with an array of different local apple varieties to taste and Harry Naegel of Harry’s Harvest in Naramata provided a splendid display of rare heritage apples.

Dumpling Dale Farm, PHH ARC Environmental and Pharmasave sponsored the contest prizes. Finally our special thanks go to the Similkameen Wineries Association who have been generous in their support through two fundraising events and Cawston Cold Storage, which made a handsome donation.

Jim and Brenda Millar have done a wonderful job in their first season as mill curators and Celia Pattenden deserves a special mention for keeping the mill grounds in immaculate condition throughout the season.

On a sad note we were sorry to hear that Jim Winfrey (who has been at the mill almost every weekend this year with his wife Flo) passed away immediately before this final event – Jim – we’ll all miss you.

On behalf of the Grist Mill Heritage Club we look forward to next year and hope to build on this year’s activities to raise awareness of our local heritage treasure. Our humble apologies if we have neglected to thank everyone.

Dave Cursons and Jim Bagley