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| Ciderfest continues to draw crowds |
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| News | |||
| Written by Aaron Cedeño | |||
| Wednesday, 30 September 2009 08:00 | |||
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Growing up as the child of Tom and Shelly Schierman, Clea Barry is overflowing with childhood memories of time spent at the Louisburg Cider Mill, and its annual Ciderfest celebration. One, however, stands out from among the crowd.  “It would have to be the straw castle that my dad would set up,” Barry said. “My sisters and I, we would play and act like we were the princess of the castle. We just thought it was so cool that we could play all day and all night.” Now, 28 years old, Barry has practically grown up in step with Ciderfest. Started in 1978 by Cider Mill owners Tom and Shelly Schierman, the first Ciderfest was a simple affair, a one-day celebration of the season. But, boy, how things have changed. The 31st Annual Louisburg Cider Mill Ciderfest kicked off on Saturday and Sunday, and as they have done for more than three decades, thousands of visitors made the trek from across Kansas and Missouri to mark the occasion. Shelly Schierman knew that it was going to be a big year, bigger than normal, when she got a call from KSHB news on Friday morning. The station was going to run a promo for Ciderfest during their 6 p.m. broadcast, and they wanted to give her a heads up. As it turns out, the extra publicity put them over the top, frequently maxing out their 500-car parking lot. “We ran out of parking at one point on Saturday, but it didn’t create too big of a problem,” Schierman said. “People were leaving as quickly as they were coming at that point in the day. It was about mid afternoon, so we got her done.” Fortunately, it was “the more the merrier” at Ciderfest this weekend. Children laughed as they chased each other around the pumpkin patch, or jumped from hay bales stacked at the Cider Mill’s entrance, with parents trailing dutifully behind. Hundreds of gallons of apple cider, and thousands of the Cider Mill’s famous cider donuts, were consumed by hungry guests, as they enjoyed lived entertainment, rows of local vendors and, perhaps most importantly, each other’s company. The Schiermans began to get serious about preparations for Ciderfest 2009 approximately three months ago, and this year they had another task on the list. For the first time since their pumpkin patch and corn maze opened six years ago, the family acted as both owner and operator — a job that fell to Clea and her husband, Joe. The two decided to move back to the area from San Diego, Calif., where they had each lived for the past few years, much to the surprise their pals in the Golden State. “We both decided to quit our jobs and take this opportunity to run this pumpkin patch and corn maze,” Barry said. “Of course, all of our beach bum friends were like ‘Are you crazy? What are you doing?’” But Barry had missed this area, she said, and missed life in northeast Kansas. After their first weekend running the Louisburg Cider Mill Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, they feel confident that they made the right decision. Early returns have been positive, and their small slice of farm life — including farm animals, hay rack rides, and row upon row of bright orange pumpkins — remains a vital component of Ciderfest’s success. What Barry enjoys most, however, is knowing that they’re helping others create the same memories that she herself cherishes so dearly. “Just the little things,” she said. “I remember from when I was a child, they’re going to remember this forever. Simple things like being pulled on a tractor, you know they’re going to be talking about this when they’re older.” For now, the Cider Mill staff has a moment to catch their breath and regroup, before the action picks up again this weekend. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Ciderfest, Schierman said, the rest of the year is a breeze. “Once you get through it, it feels like you’re just coasting,” she said. For more information on the Louisburg Cider Mill and Ciderfest, including a full roster of the upcoming weekend’s entertainment, visit them on the Web at www.louisburgcidermill.com, or call (913) 837-5202.
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