Apple Cider Festival & Chili Cookoff!!

The Apple Cider Festival began as a way to help local residents glean the fruit from their trees, in order to discourage bears foraging in the fall. Now, it is a fun annual event that brings community members together to learn how to make fruit cider.

Bring your home-grown or store-bought apples or pears as well as a clean, quart-size container. (We do not have growlers for sale on-site this year.) Please note that you may or may not get the cider from your own fruit - though we certainly do try. We also, may not be able to press large quantities of fruit all at once, in order to allow others time at the press as well. As a community hands-on event, you are involved with the process of helping volunteers with washing the fruit, cutting the fruit, and pressing the fruit. It is a lot of fun for all involved - we promise you won't be disappointed! 

Volunteer Opportunities: We will need help with the apple presses, chopping stations, and kitchen. Please let us know if you would like to help!

Cider Pressing

Bring any apples or pears from your fruit trees, or those purchased, and press it into cider. Take home some cider in your own clean, quart-size container. We do not have growlers for sale on-site this year. We will have very limited generic plastic quart size containers for sale in the event you forget your own. We will have 2 apple presses available for use this year; however, due to the popularity of the event, the timeline, and community style, you may or may not get the cider from your own fruit - though we certainly do try. We also, may not be able to press large quantities of fruit all at once, in order to allow others time at the press as well. As a community hands-on event, you are involved with the process of helping volunteers with washing the fruit, cutting the fruit, and pressing the fruit. It is a lot of fun for all involved - we promise you won't be disappointed! 

Hearty Harvest Lunch

Feed the family without spending a fortune, $5 gets you samples of chili, voting tickets, and a small bowl of chili of your choice with sides. Proceeds benefit the Nine Mile Community Center. Chili contestants receive 1 lunch free.

Music

We have live music for the 2025 event! If interested for future events, contact us at NineMileCC@gmail.com.

Chili Cook-Off: It's back again this year! Yay!!!

 An amazing way to discover the Chili making talents of the locals! The delicious aroma along with fall scents, truly make the event a fall classic.

2026 Chili Cookoff Rules

Chili Cookoff lunch is October 10th, 11:30 am-1:00 pm at the Nine Mile Community Center as part of the Apple Cider Festival (event: 10:00am – 2:00pm). The cookoff is FREE to enter but participants must pre-register by October 8th.

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1. Chili is defined as any kind of meat and/or beans cooked with chili peppers and various other spices or ingredients. Chili must be homemade within 24 hours of the cookoff.

2. To pre-register – send a note to: NineMileCC@gmail.com with your name, address and phone, name of your chili, and the chili heat level! We will confirm your registration via e-mail.

Limit one contestant per household. Limit 12 total contestants.

3. No food preparation is allowed at the Community Center. You must arrive with the chili hot and ready to eat.

4. Contestants are responsible for supplying their own serving utensils for their chili submission. An electrical outlet will be available for each entry and a crockpot is recommended. Please conspicuously mark your items with your name (i.e. masking tape with your name on bottom of crockpot, etc.). The Nine Mile Community Center will provide the sample cups, spoons, small bowls, basic condiments (cheese, diced onions and sour cream), and sides for the Chili lunch. You may bring additional condiments with your chili if desired.

5. Each contestant must cook a minimum of six (6) quarts of competition chili.

6. Each contestant will be assigned a contestant number by the scorekeeper. Each chili submittal will be identified by the contestant number and heat rating (hot, medium, mild) as determined by the contestant.

7. Each contestant is responsible for setting up before 11:20 am to ensure anonymity, serving begins promptly at 11:30 am. Contestants are responsible for cleaning up their area at the end of the day and removing all items from the area. No items shall be allowed to remain after the closure of the Cookoff.

8. Voting: To participate in the Chili Cookoff voting there will be a $5 fee for the Chili Sampler Lunch (small samples, a small bowl of chili of the participants choice, sides, and a drink) and 1 voting ticket per person – contestants are encouraged to vote, there will be no lunch fees for contestants. Each voter will place their 1 ticket in the corresponding jar of their favorite chili. Voting begins at 11:30am. The end of the voting period will be determined by the number of participants and chili available, but for sure will end promptly at 1:00pm. The chili competition will be blind judged (no one knows the identity of the cook). The chili with the most tickets wins 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placing and will receive a small prize, bragging rights and a chance to be featured in a future Nine Mile Community Center newsletter. Judges will periodically walk the chili area to monitor for low quantities - at which time counts are made at various snapshots in time to ensure a fair voting process.

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Winners will be announced no later than 1:30pm.

For More Information: Please contact Steve King (Apple Pressing) at (406) 626-4294 or Julie Van Hise (Chili Cookoff) at (406) 626-2535.

Donations: To make an event donation please send a check marked "Events" in the memo line and made out to: Nine Mile Community Center, P.O. Box 1061, Frenchtown, MT 59834, or click here for more donation options.