Annual Busti Festival Is Sunday
By PATRICK L. FANELLI
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9/20/2006 - BUSTI — Apple cider, candied apples, apple pie, apple butter — what a way to start the fall season.
Every year, the Busti Apple Festival draws thousands of visitors who come from all around to browse the multitude of craft venders, satisfy their autumn appetites or take a gander at early pioneer life. This year’s festival promises to be no different.
‘‘It’s a very pleasant day,’’ said John Siggins, president of the Busti Historical Society, which organizes the annual event.
There’s three elements to it, Siggins explained. First is the continuous loop of more than 130 crafters. Second is the wide array of food items available for purchase, with an emphasis on apples and other autumnal treats.
‘‘There’s all kinds of food and beverages available, and one of the biggest features is the homemade pies of all different descriptions. We also serve fresh apple cider in our country store, and we have apple butter and all kinds of cheeses,’’ Siggins said.
‘‘We sell apples by the bag, and there are all kinds of people there in our farmers market section, selling everything from honey to nuts,’’ Siggins added.
The third element of the Busti Apple Festival is historical. Through demonstrations, guests can sample what early pioneer life was like. They can also tour the Grist Mill, which is the driving force behind the annual celebration.
According to Siggins, the Grist Mill was built in 1838 by Herman Bush, one of the early settlers of Busti. Though the town is named after Paul Busti of the Holland Land Company, Bush is the town’s true founding father.
‘‘It probably would have been more appropriate for it to be called Bushti to celebrate Herman,’’ Siggins said. ‘‘Most of what he built between 1817 and 1838 is still standing.’’
According to Normal Carlson of the Busti Historical Society, the Grist Mill was the driving force of the local economy in the town’s early days.
‘‘It was a grist and flouring mill. In other words, it ground the locally grown grain for use in either human food or animal food,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘They didn’t have a transportation system back then. Guys were even bringing grain in on their backs.’’
As transportation advanced, the Grist Mill was unique since it still produced flour despite intense competition from Jamestown and elsewhere.
That changed in 1910, Carlson explained — and for the next few decades, it was only used to produce animal grist.
‘‘The mill closed its doors in 1959 or 1960,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘Places like the Busti Mill just couldn’t keep up with it.’’
Since then, Busti residents have been striving to preserve and restore the Grist Mill — an effort that continues today.
‘‘We replaced the siding, we replaced the roof I think three times. We replaced all the windows and two of the three floors,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘We cleaned out the basement around the turbine housings, and we had the machinery evaluated by experts. The basic water power is still there. That’s pretty much all in tack.’’
Part of the revenue from the Busti Apple Festival goes to the fire department, and part of it goes to the effort to restore the mill.
‘‘There’s a lot left to do,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘The vast majority of work on the machinery has to be done.’’
The Busti Apple Festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the festival grounds in Busti. Parking is free and admission is $3. For more information, contact the Busti Historical Society at 483-3670.
Every year, the Busti Apple Festival draws thousands of visitors who come from all around to browse the multitude of craft venders, satisfy their autumn appetites or take a gander at early pioneer life. This year’s festival promises to be no different.
‘‘It’s a very pleasant day,’’ said John Siggins, president of the Busti Historical Society, which organizes the annual event.
There’s three elements to it, Siggins explained. First is the continuous loop of more than 130 crafters. Second is the wide array of food items available for purchase, with an emphasis on apples and other autumnal treats.
‘‘There’s all kinds of food and beverages available, and one of the biggest features is the homemade pies of all different descriptions. We also serve fresh apple cider in our country store, and we have apple butter and all kinds of cheeses,’’ Siggins said.
‘‘We sell apples by the bag, and there are all kinds of people there in our farmers market section, selling everything from honey to nuts,’’ Siggins added.
The third element of the Busti Apple Festival is historical. Through demonstrations, guests can sample what early pioneer life was like. They can also tour the Grist Mill, which is the driving force behind the annual celebration.
According to Siggins, the Grist Mill was built in 1838 by Herman Bush, one of the early settlers of Busti. Though the town is named after Paul Busti of the Holland Land Company, Bush is the town’s true founding father.
‘‘It probably would have been more appropriate for it to be called Bushti to celebrate Herman,’’ Siggins said. ‘‘Most of what he built between 1817 and 1838 is still standing.’’
According to Normal Carlson of the Busti Historical Society, the Grist Mill was the driving force of the local economy in the town’s early days.
‘‘It was a grist and flouring mill. In other words, it ground the locally grown grain for use in either human food or animal food,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘They didn’t have a transportation system back then. Guys were even bringing grain in on their backs.’’
As transportation advanced, the Grist Mill was unique since it still produced flour despite intense competition from Jamestown and elsewhere.
That changed in 1910, Carlson explained — and for the next few decades, it was only used to produce animal grist.
‘‘The mill closed its doors in 1959 or 1960,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘Places like the Busti Mill just couldn’t keep up with it.’’
Since then, Busti residents have been striving to preserve and restore the Grist Mill — an effort that continues today.
‘‘We replaced the siding, we replaced the roof I think three times. We replaced all the windows and two of the three floors,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘We cleaned out the basement around the turbine housings, and we had the machinery evaluated by experts. The basic water power is still there. That’s pretty much all in tack.’’
Part of the revenue from the Busti Apple Festival goes to the fire department, and part of it goes to the effort to restore the mill.
‘‘There’s a lot left to do,’’ Carlson said. ‘‘The vast majority of work on the machinery has to be done.’’
The Busti Apple Festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the festival grounds in Busti. Parking is free and admission is $3. For more information, contact the Busti Historical Society at 483-3670.
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