Orcas Island Cider and Mead Festival
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Wes - Today we have Madie Murray on the line from the Orcas Island Cider and Mead Festival on the line. Madie, could you tell us a little about your event?
Madie - You bet, I'd love it. It is on Saturday, May 10th, 2014 from 11am-4pm on beautiful Orcas Island, this is our 4th annual cider and mead festival and it is one of the first in the Northwest. We expect approximately 400 to 500 people to enter our big tent and we have about 16 cider and mead producers and their products available for tasting. Tickets start at just 5 dollars, based on the number of tastes you would like to make available to yourself. There will be music, we have three Orcas musicians that will be performing on stage all day. We're gonna have a home brew competition, our own home brewers will be competing for the best of the brew on Orcas, which is always fun. So it's just a fun day. Our big tasting tent is perched alongside the farmers market, which is always bustling on Saturdays.
Wes - That sounds like an excellent way to spend a Saturday in the Pacific Northwest. Madie, can you tell us where this event occurs on Orcas Island?
Madie - It's on the Eastsound Village Green, which is right in the middle of Eastsound Village, our major town on Orcas Island.
Wes - If anyone walks on the ferry from Anacortes, what are the transportation options to get to Eastsound Village?
Madie - There is taxi service from the ferry landing however our summer shuttle is not yet running. Please visit the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce for more transportation options.
Wes - Do they still have the bicycle rentals at the ferry?
Madie - They do, they have moped and bicycle rentals at the Orcas Island ferry landing.
Wes - Is this a family friendly event?
Madie - There is plenty for kids to do around Eastsound village however you must be 21 years of age to enter our Cider and Mead tasting tent.
Wes - Are there any partners or sponsors who might want to mention?
Madie - Yes, one of our sponsors is Islanders Bank, and the Northwest Cider Association. And Ray's Pharmacy and General Store.
Wes - Great, well we might have to call back on Saturday and see how everything's going during the action, or I'll give you a follow up call after the event, and hear any interesting stories.
Madie - Oh great, thank you.
Click play to listen to this interview:
Below: My second interview with Madie. We discuss the inception, challenges, and unexpected bennies of the Cider and Mead Festival. We also get into event promotion, the music, demographics, restaurant pairings, and some of the business aspects. Finally she spends a few minutes telling us about Orcas's "Farm to Cafeteria" program that puts healthy and delicious lunches on the lunch tables.
