814-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 21, 2000
Harvest In Apple Belt Yields A Festival
MICHELLE RANCK
Lancaster Farming Staff
ARENDTSVILLE (Adams
Co.) Settled in a valley amidst
the golden leaves, set to the tune
of the sharp whistle of a steam
engine and enveloped with the
autumn scent of hot cider, the
Bethany Massara, Ship pensburg, wards off the crisp
air of autumn with hot apple cider, a popular choice for
chilled festival-goers.
Volunteers make applesauce to sell for the Jaycees,
aided by peeling and coring machines donated by nearby
apple-processing factories.
national Apple Harvest Festival
conducted its 37th fall cele
bration at the South Mountain
Fairgrounds.
With roads like “Red Deli
cious Drive,” or “Stayman
Stretch,” several bands on the
Cider Barrel or Appleseed Stage,
puppet shows, talent shows,
craftsmen demonstrations, free
orchard tours, a pedal tractor
pull, pie auction, steam engine
rides. Apples the Clown, fresh
food, and hundreds of handi
crafts, the apple harvest festival
was a popular destination every
year during its two-weekend ten-
Youil Like
ure.
In the Apple Auditorium,
apple art and displays from
nurseries, fruit markers, or juice
and applesauce-manufacturing
companies lined the wall.
To complete their apple festi
val experience, participants had
the opportunity to sample apple
jelly, hot apple cider, apple frit
ters, apple butter, freshly-made
applesauce or cider, and apple
peanut brittle.
At one busy stand volunteers
made applesauce to sell for the
Jaycees, aided by peeling and
coring machines donated by
nearby apple-processing factor
ies.
“I’ve helped for 25 years,” said
Vada Melhorn, Aspers. “I really
love it.”
The scarecrow-making stand
turned out dozens of straw
stuffed men during the festival.
According to Cheryl Hoover,
Spring Grove, who worked at the
stand, festival-goers have the op
tion to either buy pre-made or
make their own scarecrow. Par
ticipants chose jeans, overalls,
flannel shirts, scarves, and hats
from the bins.
“Kids love it, it’s really a neat
activity for them,” said Hoover.
Jars of apple butter lined the
counter of another stand. Jaycee
members added spices and apple
cider to prepackaged apple but
ter and heated the mixture to 160
degrees before repackaging and
selling the finished product,
according to chairman of this
year’s project, Mike Gwozdecki,
Boiling Springs. Workers com
pleted the process 3 times a day,
yielding 72 jars each time. The
apple butter, sweetened or un
sweetened, was made and pack-
At left, Mike Bohnert, York, helpd out at the busy
make-your-own-scarecrow stand. Tracy and Michaella
Francis, York, put Bohnert’s assembly expertise to work
as they created their own scarecrow.
aged by a local major orchard be
fore the jars were sent to the
stand to be spiced and sold at the
festival.
Large, warm apple fritters
warmed the hands and satisfied
the sweet tooth. “Business was
brisk, said Ed Chandler, Glen
Rock. “Just like the weather.”
Joy McFalls, 16, Gettysburg,
Christy Kramer, 19, were
“pressed” into service to help to
sell over 3,600 gallons of cider in
the first weekend of the festival.
As with many of the other apple
product-selling stands, proceeds
went to the community efforts of
the Jaycees.
Another sweet apple-selling
venue was Brittle Maker stand,
which sold peanut brittle made
with dried apples and cinnamon.
Although the nearby Aspers
based business sold assorted vari
eties, the apple variety was cer
tainly the most popular.
“We’re sold out,” said Charles
Dunn, York, who worked at the
stand on the first Sunday of the
festival. “We had huge piles here
and they’re all gone.”
Pennsylvania Apple Queen
Lauren Hankey, Gettysburg,
and alternate Heidi Fetters,
Gardners spent time interact
ing with the public, handing
out stickers, and helping at
the pie auction which benefits
the St. Jude’s Children’s Hos-
pital. The auction was the cul-
mination of a 14-pie contest.
The apple stands were in
terspersed between stand after
stand of handcrafted work.
Wreaths, painted gourds,
dolls, furniture, yard signs, paper
jewelry, candles, original paint
ings, potpourri, and children’s
toys are just a few of the varieties
of crafts displayed and sold dur
ing the festival.
The harvest festival also fea-
Another sweet apple-selling stand was a stand that
sold peanut brittle made with dried apples and cinna
mon. The apple variety was the most popular and sold
out, according to Charles Dunn, York, who worked at
Vada Melhorn, Aspers, demonstrates the peeler and
corer machine. The apples will be made into applesauce
and sold at the stand, with proceeds going to the Jay*
cees. “I’ve helped 25 years,” said Melhorn. “I really love
it»
Above, Pennsylvania
Apple Queen Lauren Han
key, Gettysburg, is joined
by alternate Heidi Fetters,
Gardners. During the festi
val the apple representa
tives spent time interacting
with the public, handing
out stickers, and helping at
the pie auction that bene
fits the St. Jude’s Chil
dren’s Hospital.
tured a photography contest, be
sides a gallery of old-fashioned
apple production equipment and
apple harvest memorabilia.
Sponsored by Upper Adams
Jaycees, the festival is held annu
ally the first two weekends in Oc
tober. A precursor to the harvest
festival, an Apple Blossom Festi
val is held the first full weekend
in May.
Adams County is traditionally
a land of apples. Each year coun
ty producers harvest more than S
million bushels of the fruit dur
ing the harvest that begins in
July and ends in November.
Cold storage adds 8-10 months
to some of the prominent variet
ies.