The St John Inn, tucked away in the quiet hamlet of St. John near Torpoint, Cornwall will once again be celebrating all things apple on Saturday 16th October, with its free Oktoberfest and Apple Festival. Rob and Gill Berry, owners of the village pub, are providing the opportunity for anyone to bring their own apples from their gardens and turn them into juice using a hydraulic apple crusher from Tavy Apples. People wishing to press their apples are reminded to bring their own containers to carry the apple juice home in! Gill said “ This year’s festival will be memory of Mike Holmes, who passed away last September, Mike was the “Mr Fix it” of St. John village and a regular patron of the pub. At the last apple festival, Mike worked tirelessly throughout on the apple press, helping to make what was a great community event for everyone. We would like donations in Mikes memory to go towards our chosen charity, the village church, which desperately needs new guttering and benches for the church yard”. Cider makers Adrian and Louise Snell, from Rame Rectory, will be returning to be on hand throughout the day offering professional advice and guidance on how to turn apple juice into drinkable cider! The event will also see the return of the hotly contested Apple Pie Competition. This year’s festival will also have an Oktoberfest theme, attendees are invited to enter into the fun spirit of the day by wearing lederhosen or Bavarian Dirndl dresses. Other apple-based events will be taking place throughout the day, with a cookery demonstration from Chef Steve Pugh. Steve is a professional chef with over 30 years’ experience catering in the Royal Navy and is a qualified chef instructor. His new venture Steve’s School of Cookery is due to open at the pub this autumn, offering intimate cookery lessons for up to 4 people at a time. Steve stated that “ I’m excited to be doing a cookery demonstration for people at the apple festival again. This year it will give people a further insight into what my new school has to offer.” No apple festival would be complete without a cider bar and rest assured as well as some great real ales, there will be a wide selection of ciders on offer from the marquee bar, accompanied by a hog roast throughout the afternoon. There will be live music throughout the afternoon from local bands Halfway Harmony, Spittin’ Feathers, and the Derry Airs, as well as traditional dancing from Wreckers Morris. In the evening, eight-piece band Rocksea, will take to the stage playing some great blues and rock. For anyone looking for an early Christmas present, there will be a selection of locally produced arts and craft stalls offering items ranging from wood carved reindeers to unique pieces of art and jewelry. The festival reflects the continued success of the pub, from being taken over in a derelict state 4 years ago, to regular inclusion in the CAMRA Good beer Guide. Gill and Rob have supported the local community since taking over the pub in a derelict state 4 years ago and have received recognition from central government for their efforts in providing a community shop at the pub during the recent pandemic, it now appears regularly in the CAMRA “Good Beer Guide.”  Rob Berry, Landlord, said “This year to enable more people to come to the festival, we are providing a classic 1960’s bus running between Torpoint, Millbrook and the Rame Peninsula. It will be a free service, but we would like a donation to our charity from those who use it. Details of times and pick/drop off points will be published on our Facebook page nearer the time.”.  The festival is free for everyone to attend and runs from Midday until late.