Note: This is an archived announcement of the First Annual “Fall Festival” held in 2012.  This year’s information can be found at bearapple.org.

Celebrate apples, bears, and
the Rattlesnake Valley

Noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, October 28, 2012

Ten Spoon Winery (4175 Rattlesnake Drive; 549-8703; www.tenspoon.com)

Hosted by the Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group (RCWG)

Admission: Free & open to all!

Snacks, Ten Spoon wine for sale, apple-cider pressing, apple recipe contest, and more

Chat with neighbors and experts on apples, bears, and Rattlesnake history

Raffle to benefit Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group and Bear Aware Apple Share

Parking

Down the winery driveway, behind the winery building. Bike-riding and carpooling encouraged, of course! Mountain Line buses do not operate on Sundays.

Raffle

•  Guided fly-fishing trip for two, lunch included, on a local river of choice
• Two nights in a North Fork Hostel cabin, Polebridge
•  And many more! Check back for updates.

Benefits the Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group

Apple Recipe Contest

Two categories: Dessert and Other (non-dessert)

Contest judges: “The Food Guys” of Montana Public Radio fame, Jon Jackson and Greg Patent.
Patent is the nationally published author of A is for Apple and numerous other cookbooks and newspaper columns.

Judging begins at 1 p.m.

Please bring the recipe, and if you know, say what kind of apples were used. If you don’t know, no problem, but using Rattlesnake apples could tip a decision if there is a tie.

 Winning recipes will be posted at bearapple.info

Cider Pressing

Community pressing of Rattlesnake apples and pears (picked so they don’t draw bears!)

Bring your own containers to take home free cider! (Beware: our supply is limited)

Bring your own apples to press and share!

(We may also make applesauce!)

Participating Organizations and Experts

Botanist Peter Lesica worked as an orchardist for 10 years. Apples and fruit are the number-one draw for bears to the Rattlesnake. Peter loves to chat about apples, tree care, and solutions for bear-apple interactions.

Did you know there used to be a school in what is now the Rattlesnake Recreation Area? Or that Missoula had a “Poor Farm,” located where Rattlesnake School is now? Sydney Bacon, archaeologist with the US Forest Service, can tell and show you more.

Erin Edge, with missoulabears.org, is a leading bear expert in Missoula. She has hundreds of amazing bear stories as well as great resources and ideas for making your home, neighborhood, and the Rattlesnake safer for people, bears, and other wildlife.

Representatives from the Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group (RCWG) and the Great Bear Foundation can tell you about their work. RCWG was founded in 2008 to promote the preservation of Rattlesnake Creek through education, science, and stewardship.

In addition to Bear Aware Apple Share work, RCWG has brought the community together on projects involving restoration, invasive weeds, stream clean-up, ditch clean-up and education, monitoring, and more.The Great Bear Foundation has worked on bear-focused education and mitigation in the Rattlesnake for over a decade, manually gleaning fruit to help reduce negative human-bear encounters.