Every year Fishkill Farms has a corn maze. 30% of ticket sales are donated evenly among local organizations that are bettering the community, and this year Cider Mill Friends is honored to be selected.
This year’s maze theme is cider. These are the recipients:
Tickets to the corn maze are sold at the entrance of the maze. Because it is located in the orchard, pick-your-own reservations are required to access the maze.
Please join us at our 13th annual old-fashioned cider tasting at the Kimlin Cider Mill on Saturday, October 4, rain or shine under a large tent. More information is available at the event webpage.
We also have our inaugural Cider In The Meadow event the night before on Friday, October 3 also under the large tent. More information is available at the event webpage.
Tickets for both events are available for purchase online. If purchased online, you are entered into an exclusive raffle for a growler of Kimlin Cider, which is otherwise only available at the event and for tasting only. Cider Tasting tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event, too.
Thank you so much to our sponsors, partners, and cider donors!
Please consider sponsoring the 13th annual Cider Tasting on October 4. The event will showcase many local hard and sweet ciders including our own Kimlin Cider. This year we are also introducing our first Cider In The Meadow event the night before the Tasting, which features pairings of cider and curated foods in collaboration with CIA students and local restaurants, music, and silent auction.
See the letter below for more information. You can donate at this page. As a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, Cider Mill Friends fulfills its mission exclusively through community support and donations.
The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association (CAMA) in Kent, CT is is a museum dedicated to the preservation, restoration and demonstration of antique machinery from our rich industrial and agricultural past. Just like Cider Mill Friends, CAMA is a non-profit organization of all volunteers (no paid staff). Recently CMF and CAMA partnered up with CAMA providing CMF a long term loan of a stationary engine similar to the one that used to power the cider press at the Kimlin Cider Mill.
The Kimlins, like most farmers at the time, reused everything over and over. In the spirit of that attitude, we are holding a FreeCycle event during our annual cider tasting on October 5. A table will be set up with various items for free that are ready for a new home. Please do not bring items to drop off as we already have enough for this event, but do stop by the table and take anything that you would like. Note that the FreeCycle component of the cider tasting event may be canceled if it is raining.
Please consider sponsoring the 12th annual Cider Tasting on October 5. The event will showcase many local hard and sweet ciders including our own Kimlin Cider. See the letter below for more information. You can donate at this page. As a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, Cider Mill Friends fulfills its mission exclusively through community support and donations.
Please join us at our 11th annual old-fashioned cider tasting at the Kimlin Cider Mill on Saturday, October 14, rain or shine under a large tent. More information is available at the event webpage: Cider Tasting 2023.
Tickets are available at the door or purchase online. If purchased online, you are entered into an exclusive raffle for a growler of Kimlin Cider, which is otherwise only available at the event and for tasting only.
Thank you so much to our sponsors, partners, and cider donors!
Fifteen years ago on February 20, 2008, the group Cider Mill Friends of Open Space & Historic Preservation, Inc. became owners of the historic Kimlin Cider Mill in Poughkeepsie, NY. You are invited to celebrate this milestone at the cider mill (140 Cedar Avenue) on Monday, February 20 from 12-2pm. There will be hot chocolate, snacks, and a warm fire in the large stone fireplace.
The group formed in 2000 when developers purchased 18 acres of farmland owned by the Kimlin family, including the land on which the Kimlin Cider Mill sat, and proposed to develop a residential subdivision, including the demolition of the cider mill local landmark. Seeing the importance of the cider mill in the history and future of the town, local residents joined together as the Cider Mill Friends (CMF). As part of their efforts, the circa 1880 Kimlin Cider Mill was listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places and also as a Town of Poughkeepsie Historic Landmark. In 2001, CMF and Cider Mill Development LLC signed a letter agreement that stated CMF would have the opportunity to purchase the cider mill and surrounding land. CMF assembled funds from local donors for the down payment, but when they moved to purchase the cider mill, the developers reneged. CMF battled in the courtroom until finally winning the case and purchasing the cider mill seven years later in 2008.
One of the first things CMF did was to have an Existing Conditions Report prepared to identify tasks to preserve the structure from deteriorating. The building had been vacant since 1990 and was in poor shape. An immediate task was to brace the extant cider press machinery that encompasses the entire press room and partially hangs from the ceiling. Over the years, CMF has engaged with many volunteers to work on other projects to preserve and restore the structure and therefore preserve and share the history that it represents. They have also purchased additional acreage around the cider mill structure to preserve further open space.
CMF is a non-profit organization entirely run by volunteers, supported by community donations and the efforts of their volunteers to secure grants. Their major fundraising event is the annual “old fashioned cider tasting” in early October that showcases various Hudson Valley sweet and hard ciders, live music, tours, and much more. The event this year is October 14. You can learn more about CMF and the Kimlin Cider Mill by going to cidermillfriends.org or following them on Facebook (facebook.com/kimlincidermillfriends) or Instagram (@cidermillfriends).
This year marks the 10th year of our annual cider tasting event which will take place Saturday, October 15. The event will showcase many local hard and sweet ciders – including our own Kimlin Cider – to sample with our special 10th anniversary tasting glass. The event will also include:
food vendor Dutchess Dog House
behind-the-scene tours of the Mill
raffles
online auction
children’s activities
live music by the Roundabout Ramblers
Fishkill Historical Society with their delicious made-to-order apple fritters as you learn about the work this group does to preserve local history
Dutchess County Sports Museum with their exhibit on our local sports history
Lawrence antique cider press plus with hands-on demos
intriguing new additions to the Mill’s Museum of Antiquity
other surprises!
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization, Cider Mill Friends fulfills its mission to restore this beloved local landmark through community support and donations. You are proudly preserving the Mill today and, for our most important asset: our future generations. Publicity includes the roadside banner on Cedar Avenue visible to 2,500 cars daily; mail invitations to 750+ supporters; emails to 450 subscribers; a card listing available ciders given to our hundreds of guests; advertisement at the cider tables visited by guests multiple times; event t-shirts worn by volunteers at the event and beyond; and the event and sponsors are shared through our website, Facebook (725+ followers), Instagram (185+ followers) and other online venues.
We look forward to you joining us as a Cider Tasting sponsor!
Cider Mill Friends 