Labor Day weekend is Apple Festival time. This annual event celebrates our county’s primary agricultural crop, with a downtown street festival that lasts four days. We usually try to get there for at least one day, often going for both the street festival and then coming back on Monday after they pick up all the booths and hold the King Apple Parade. You can buy apples in a huge number of varieties. Of course, we love the Honey Crisp best. I have talked about different aspects of this show every year.
Most of the orchards in the county have a booth, loaded with apples in huge bins or pre-packed for sale. Jonagold, Sheep’s Nose, Fuji, Gingergold, Gala, Mutsu, Pink Lady, Goldrush and Crispin are sold along with the more familiar Red and Gold Delicious. Treats made with apples are for sale in every booth, from fried pies to bread pudding, apple ice cream and more.
The main stage in front of the historic courthouse (which is now a museum) hosted the Apple Cooking Contest on Friday morning.
I dropped off my entries, and noted that I did not stand a chance. The other entries looked like professional bakers had done them. Beautiful presentations, and looked like yummy ideas. I had made an Apple Gallette with Honey (instead of caramel sauce), and my Caramel Apple Coffee Cake. Click on those links for the recipes.
Next year, I will have to really up my game. Look at the grand prize trophy! First and second prizes were baskets of goodies and gift certificates to local merchants.
So, while the judging was going on, we walked around the festival a bit, and had lunch at Black Bear Coffee shop. Windows and store fronts along the main street are decked out in Apple theme displays for a decorating contest. If I had a vote, this one would have it this year. It is a window for a hospice thrift shop, and it is a seek and find game. Pictures were very difficult to get due to the glare on the glass. The display is stuffed full of fun things to look at with an apple and farm theme.
On the window is the list of things you can look for in the display. The Apple Festival Barbie is in the photo above, you can see her legs and her apple bucket on the left side. You can also see the tail and feet of the black bird just above her.
The golden egg is in the basket with the white eggs. We did not find everything on the list, but it was fun looking!
Back to the main stage for the announcement of the winners. No, I did not win this time, but I knew that would be the case. We enjoyed some apple ice cream from a street vendor while we waited. Yum!
If you’d like to see more, see my previous posts on the Apple Festival from years past. The King Apple Parade is an annual part of the event, taking place on Labor Day each year. I think every municipality in the county sends a fire truck, with all the sirens and horns blasting as they go down the street. There are also municipal organization floats, military groups, high school bands, tractors, antique cars and more.
At home, we will enjoy an apple theme table for this weekend of transition from summer to fall. Looking back at previous apple tablescapes, up to now I have always chosen the red chargers. So this year, I took a cue from the honey crisp apples I got for the cooking contests, and put apple green chargers with the plates. The base is a white tablecloth, topped with the apple print runner I made a few years ago.
The salad plates also have some green apples on them, so the chargers went well. They are set on white stoneware dinner plates with the green chargers. Every day flatware and crystal drink glasses are added, along with the individual salt and pepper shakers.
Honey Crisp gold napkins are held with apple napkin rings that match the small ramekins complete the settings.
The centerpiece is my red ceramic basket filled with fresh honey crisp apples. Well, it was full before I started cooking for the contest. It is surrounded with green ceramic leaf bowls, and a cut apple salt and pepper set.
My Sweet Babboo will be eating apple coffee cake and apple galette for days. Don’t you feel sorry for him? He says it is a dirty job but someone has to do it.
How are you celebrating this Labor Day Weekend?
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From My Carolina Home 
Carole, the apple festival looks like fun and is a perfect start to the autumn season! I would love apple cake with my coffee this morning. Happy Labor Day!
What a fun event. Your husband is such a trooper to have to eat those tasty treats. Lol
I wish we had something fun planned this weekend but instead we spent most of yesterday removing a stump from our front yard. We had a Linden tree there and unfortunately had to cut it down as it was root girdled and choking itself. Either the builder or original owner had not properly planted it (too deep and didn’t untangle the roots) so now 20 years later it is ours to deal with. Thankfully the resulting hole made a wonderful mud puddle for the kids to splash around in so they were very happy. Hope you enjoy the parade on Monday.
thank you for sharing all of these photos of a great and fun event. This time of year is perfect to get out and about and celebrate.
Entering contests of any sort is always exciting and I am always up for the challenge.
Then I am crushed to see that others have made such incredibly beautiful and tasty examples ….. Well, it is the fun of joining in. … right. hmmm
I always say to myself “well then!!”
It is so fortunate your hubbs will clean up the goodies with out too much hardship.
It is really HOTTT here in Northern Virginia, and I am grateful for air conditioning.
The parade will be nice!!
What a fun festival. That thrift shop window was so clever!! Sorry you didn’t win in with your entries. I would LOVE that apple coffee cake, and end up eating it all myself. Labor day weekend spent working with my 11 y/o granddaughter on he first quilt. So close to finishing before school starts.
looks like fun – sorry you will need to up your game next year for the baking – there are a lot of people who seem to just keep decorating more and more and making professional looking items I guess. The festival looks like fun. I need to keep an eye out for apples I like to make homemade chunky applesauce by the pint and wouldn’t mind getting a hold of a couple bags.
That looks like a really fun event! Freshly picked apples are so delicious – honeycrisp are our favorite, too. I love the storefront I Spy and your beautiful apple-themed tablescape! Will you go to the parade tomorrow?
The apple festival sounds like so much fun and a great way to kick off Fall! I need to make an apple galette, it sounds so good!
What a fun time at the Apple Festival. Although I have go say that there was only one or two apple varieties that I recognized. Different growers, different countries, I guess. My favourite apple would be the green skinned Granny Smith, nice and crunchy for eating, and great for cooking, have you come across this one?
This looks like such a fun festival! And tasty too. (Apple ice cream? What a great idea!) I love that you carried out the festival theme with your lovely tablesetting. Perfection!
The Black Bear Coffee Shop! Was that black bear you had peeking in your window issuing an invitation for coffee? The apples look delicious. They’re just starting to arrive here. My favorite is a Cortland. The I Spy window was fun. Sounds like you had a wonderful time, thanks for taking us along.
My aunt from West Virginia taught me to make apple fried pies. So good!
What an interesting and colorful post! I love the table setting with the green chargers and I’ll bet the parade was fun. The thrift store window was amazing – someone is quite talented! Thanks for sharing your weekend. We are headed to a balloon festival this afternoon with the grandkids. I can’t wait so see the balloons!
Just walked the pupper, watching the park come to life with kayaks for rent, kids using the plastic sleds to slide down the grassy hill, lots of dog walkers, several fishermen, not catching anything just fishing, bikers, basketball game in prgress, softball later today – not bad for a 20 acre park. Family zoom later today. Still trying to finish a Maeve Binchey novel, will take it to the porch and read and wave to the neighbors walking their dogs… Gotta love Summer Sundays.
Thanks for sharing the news of the fair, looks like lots of fun!
I loved this post! We used to to to Apple Hill in Northern California every fall. How I miss that! I am working on finishing a quilt this weekend, starting a new bag project and I will have to get some paperwork for our business done too – so, both play and work. I also have an entry table I want to redecorate. I’m not ready to put out “fall” stuff but am having a hard time finding apple/school themed things. I’ll have to start looking earlier for next year!
Wish we had such an event around here. That sounds like such fun. Cute idea for a window display too.
Thank You for sharing The Apple Festival. Love those plates.
Marion,Marilyn and Joan
What a fun time for the community! I’m sure your entries were just as lovely as all the others. You win just by having been able to produce lovely food and I bet your husband is pleased to have the goodies to savour too.
All those wonderful apples to choose from – I’m jealous.
I’m sure everyone had a wonderful time at the fair.:))
How fun, even if you don’t think your entries were prize-worthy. And it most definitely got you into the spirit for a welcome fall table!
Fun times Carole! I grew up with our Apple Blossom Festival the first week of May. We had a huge marching band competition and parade, to celebrate the promise of apples in the fall. 😀
The Fair sounds great fun!
Nothing remotely similar anywhere near here unfortunately, although there is a big agricultural show in Sydney at Easter time. I don’t go to that because there are huge crowds and everything is enormously expensive.
I know there are fairs here, but my husband is not game for them…so I need to go with a friend. Am looking forward to fall and crisper weather…we have had a muggy soggy summer in New England!
This looks like so much fun and I love how you brought the theme into your home! I’m very ready for apple season but it’s a little early here yet. We’ll be heading to WI in a month and I plan on stocking up at any of the orchards we pass on our way back home!
How fun, Carole! Love your tablescape! You have such an eye for decorating. Have a good month of September! Felicia