GREENE – Saturday’s forecast calls for a mild day with highs in the mid-60s. That’s good news for the organizers of the Greene Apple Fest, which is expected to draw roughly 10,000 visitors in this, its 23rd year.
The day-long event, sponsored annually by the United Methodist Church of Greene, has become a tradition for crafters and apple aficionados who come from near and far for the annual fall celebration.
Traditionally scheduled for the fourth weekend in September, the free, family friendly event will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Greene Ball Flats.
The main attraction is, of course, apples.
“If it’s apple, it’s on that field somewhere,” reported this year’s festival chair, Robert Corey. Vendors will be selling or sampling everything from apple cider and apple butter, to apple fritters and pies. Lots of pies.
According to Corey, more than 3,740 pounds of apples - which translates to 90 bushels - go into making the event happen. That includes 70 bushels of apples in five varieties which are sold at the Ball Flats. Another 20 bushels of Paula Reds, kin to the ever-popular Macintosh, go into making the 750 apple pies which church volunteers have already baked for the event.
Those volunteers began baking two and a half months ago, starting with 150 strawberry rhubarb and 100 blueberry pies. Right before Labor Day, they turned their efforts to apple, which they baked over the first three weekends of September.
The United Methodist bakers have it down to a science. By preparing the dough on Thursdays, peeling and paring on Friday and finally putting it all together and into the oven on Saturday, the group averaged 250 apple pies a week.
And they’re not done yet. They still have 60 cherry pies to bake in anticipation of Saturday’s event.
While that may sound like an awful lot of pies, organizers fully expect to be sold out by 2 p.m. at the latest, as they have at all but one of their 22 previous events. The lone exception, according to Corey, was last year when torrential downpours hampered sales.
There will be plenty of other things going on during the day-long event as well. This year’s Apple Fest will feature more than 130 crafters, making it one of the largest craft fairs in the area. There will also be live music, an antique tractor pull, food vendors, a petting zoo and apple pressing demonstrations, as well as a host of other activities for both kids and adults, Corey reported.
“It covers the gamut,” the festival chair said. “There is basically something there for everyone.”
The only thing you might not be able to find at the Ball Flats is parking. According to Corey, the unseasonably wet summer has had an adverse affect on the area of the field usually reserved for parking. As a result, only very limited parking will be available at the field itself.
“We’re encouraging and asking people to use the shuttle bus from the Great American parking lot,” he said, explaining that free shuttles will run approximately every 15 minutes throughout the day.
Planning for the day-long event, which is entirely volunteer driven, is a year long process, Corey explained. While there is a core group of 25 or 30 who dedicate their time year-round, many more come out on the day to help out as well. This year, organizers will have a few extra hands courtesy of Chenango United Way. The local non-profit plans to send two contingents of volunteers to help out as part of their annual Day of Caring.
Apple Fest serves as the United Methodist Church’s largest fundraiser of the year. The money they raise, however, doesn’t go into the church coffers. “We spread the money around the community,” reported the festival chair.
The 23rd Annual Greene Apple Fest will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturda at the Greene Ball Flats. Admission is free and families are welcome. Pets, however, are not allowed.