LIVERMORE — Three western Maine farms are partnering to offer a weekend experience celebrating the heritage of the amazing apple. Folks are invited to register for one or all three components of the Oct. 8 and 9 weekend. The living history experience will be hosted at the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center with partners Boothby Orchards and Koviashuvik Local Living School. Space is limited and preregistration is required.

The weekend will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, with a hands-on educational tour of the Boothby Orchards including a wagon ride, harvest of apples for Sunday’s workshop and a talk on the history and care of heritage species grown at the orchard. The tour will be followed by a family-style dinner in the historic farmer’s cottage at the nearby Washburn-Norlands Living History Center. The evening will include interactive storytelling presented by living historians interpreting farm life in the late 19th century. The orchard tour will be guided by Rob Boothby of Boothby’s Orchards. Cost of $40 includes supper.

The second component is an overnight stay in the quaint ‘bed chambers’ in the farmer’s cottage at Norlands, with oil lamplight, morning wash basins and breakfast cooked on the old woodstove. Before a special early morning tour of the Washburn Mansion, visitors join in the morning chores on Maine’s oldest living history farm. The primitive B&B experience will be hosted by Norlands’ interpreters of 1870’s rural history. The cost is $65.

On Sunday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Norlands, guest farmer and educator Chris Knapp of Koviashuvik will present traditional methods for putting up apples. During the hands-on class Knapp will cover the basics of root cellar storage, sweet and hard cider, vinegar, fruit leather, dry apples and applesauce. Working in the authentic 19th century kitchen, participants will experiment with a multitude of ways to enjoy the amazing apple year round and leave with some samples to take home. Cost is $40.

Both the orchard and the farmer’s cottage are ADA accessible. Register for the whole weekend for a discounted rate of $135 or come for just one or two of the components.

Contact the Norlands staff at 897-4366, visit www.norlands.org or email [email protected] to register or for more information.