GREENE – What better way to celebrate the arrival of fall than a festival dedicated entirely to the season’s favorite fruit? 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the annual Applefest. Yes, that is a celebration strictly about apples. The event takes place Saturday September 24, at Ball Flats in Greene, New York from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What began as a family friendly event to raise money for the community by two couples from the First United Methodist Church, turned into a tradition in Chenango County. According to Gerri Corey, chairperson of the event, “The original AppleFest was held at the Scout House at the Ball Flats; the current AppleFest encompasses the entire Ball Flats, and draws people from all over New York State and Pennsylvania as both craft vendors and visitors.”
While the original event was run entirely by the First United Methodist Church, the festival is now part of the community including several organizations such as the American Legion, Chenango County Habitat for Humanity, the Dave Clark Foundation, and various school organizations.
“In addition, many state, county, and local non-profits engage to provide information and demonstrations, such as the State Police, the Chenango County Sheriff’s Department, Lourdes Community Outreach and the Greene Fire Department,” said Corey. Applefest also has support from local businesses like T&K Harrington, Manasse Auctioneers, and Lilley Farms.
The main attractions are obviously apple products like the classics: pies, cider, crisp and dumplings. They also manage to incorporate apple in the unlikeliest of places with a sour apple cotton candy, if your sweet tooth wasn’t already aching. But don’t let the name fool you, there are plenty of other activities for those who aren’t an apple enthusiast. They have several food vendors ranging from maple products, kettle corn, roasted nuts and home cut French fries to fried Oreos, barbeque as well as grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.
So, what is there to do at Applefest besides eat? There are plenty of activities for kids and adults alike to enjoy. There is an entire Kid’s Zone with bouncy houses, kid’s craft activities, pony rides and pumpkin painting. The festival also provides hay rides and live entertainment with acts like The Moonlighters (Greene’s community band), Ben Rounds, Lady Purple, and Claus Evans. Applefest provides several craft vendors that all sell homemade products. There will be pottery, scarves, jewelry, soap, and more.
New this year to Applefest is the Scarecrow Contest. The contest is open to all ages, individuals, families, groups, and businesses but limited to one entry per person or group. There is no entry fee but food and cash donations for the local food pantry are welcome. The two categories are traditional scarecrow and any other; the bigger the imagination the better. Cash prizes will be awarded to first and second place winners.
According to local police, an estimated 10,000 people visit Applefest every year. For the past 30 years the festival has been providing family friendly fun and entertainment to Greene and the surrounding areas. “The festival as stated has grown so much more than just the Methodist Church, and encompasses several organizations in the local community as well as the county. It is one of the main fall craft festivals that visitors look forward to attending each year,” said Corey.