NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 candgnews.com Oakland County papers
BOOMING APPLE CROPS THIS YEAR ADD TO FALL FUN AT LOCAL ORCHARDS, CIDER MILLS BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com
ABOVE: Yates Cider Mill’s press can produce hundreds of gallons of apple cider each hour. RIGHT: Yates Cider Mills staff member Ava Ramales, 17, of Shelby Township, takes out dozens of freshly baked doughnuts.
METRO DETROIT — As the weather begins to cool in Michigan, there’s no better way to warm yourself up than with a cup of hot apple cider and mouth-watering doughnuts this fall. According to the Michigan Apple Committee, there’s plenty of apples to choose from this year. Michigan is now in its third consecutive season of large apple crops, estimating a harvest of 30.5 million bushels in 2024 — well above Michigan’s average of approximately 25.9 million bushels. “Apples are the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan – not to mention a big part of Michigan’s culture,” Diane Smith, the executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, said in a statement. “Ask any Michigander about their fall traditions, and you’ll hear about apple picking, apple cider and more. Apples are the flavor of fall in Michigan, naturally.” Warmer than normal temperatures in late winter and early spring caused buds to form, leading to an earlier bloom in May. Growers, Smith said, were fortunate this year not to experience significant frost and freeze events after that early bloom, allowing a plentiful crop to be harvested 10 days earlier than usual. Although the Michigan Apple Committee’s estimated harvest of 30.5 million bushels this year is slightly down from 31.9 million last year, Smith said that’s still above average. Michigan harvested around a record 32.38 million bushels of apples in 2022, according to the United States See CIDER MILLS on page 6A
Photos by Erin Sanchez
Project could bring big changes to Governor Warner Mansion grounds PLANS INCLUDE CONCEPT FOR ‘BIG OUTDOOR PARTY SPACE’ BY MARK VEST mvest@candgnews.com
Farmington City Council members have come up with some ideas for improvements to the Governor Warner Mansion. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
FARMINGTON — Over the course of the next five years or so, the grounds of the Governor Warner Mansion may undergo some major changes. A master plan has been adopted to improve the grounds, with Farmington City Council member Steven Schneemann, who is an architect, tasked
with developing a design for the project. Although there are multiple components to the project, the one that stands out the most is the concept for an outdoor building that Schneemann described as like a “permanent tent,” which would be approximately 3,000 square feet. It would be heated and air-conditioned, and would have a warming kitchen and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathrooms. See MANSION on page 8A