OCTOBER 1, 2009 ISSUE
Pick Your Apple Festival
The Harvest is Here
This weekend is bursting with sweet celebrations of the apple in and around the High Country. With apple festivals taking place at the Hickory Ridge Homestead in Boone, downtown Erwin in Unicoi County, Tenn., and in North Wilkesboro, apple options abound. Treat yourself and your family to a fall festival this weekend, and be sure to take your best apple pie recipes and your appetite with you.
29th Annual Hickory Ridge Homestead Apple Festival October 3
The 29th annual Hickory Ridge Homestead Apple Festival takes place this Saturday, October 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Horn in the West, located at 591 Horn in the West Drive in Boone. Admission is free but attendees can leave donations at the donation box by the entrance if they so desire.
“All the Hickory Ridge homestead cabins will be opened up that day,” said Freda Greene, special events coordinator.
Demonstrators will teach attendees how to dip candles and fried apple pies will be made onsite, Greene added.
The festival features an apple-peeling contest at 11:00 a.m. and an apple pie-eating contest at 1:00 p.m., as well as games for children throughout the day.
Perry Greene, Sr. and Theresa Greene will be recognized as the Apple King and Queen in appreciation for their contributions to Horn in the West, Greene said.
Bluegrass, gospel and country music performances will take place throughout the day by such bands as Son Road Bluegrass Band, Kevin Carter and Full Assurance, Jimmy Trivette and Friends, Neil Wilson and more.
Dan’l Boone Inn dinners and Subway sandwiches will be sold onsite during the event, along with concessions, such as hot dogs, popcorn and candy.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope everyone enjoys themselves,” Greene said.
For more information about the festival, call 828-264-2120.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Hickory Ridge Homestead, Horn in the West, Boone
Cost: Free admission
Brushy Mountain Apple Festival October 3
The Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, which is owned, organized and operated by the Brushy Mountain Ruritan Club, takes place this Saturday, October 3, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in North Wilkesboro.
More than 100 civic, church and other nonprofit organizations participate in the festival, which features dancing, gospel, bluegrass, Americana performances, as well as food, arts, crafts and children’s activities.
The Apple Jam featuring Backstreet, a band from Wilkes County, takes place from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, at the corner of 10th and Main streets in downtown North Wilkesboro. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy the toe-tapping live music.
For more information, click to www.applefestival.net or call 336-984-3022.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Wilkesboro
Cost: Free admission
Unicoi County Apple Festival October 2 and 3
The 32nd annual Unicoi County Apple Festival, hosted by the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce, will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. both this Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, in downtown Erwin, Tenn.—roughly 90 minutes from Boone.
More than 100,000 people attend the festival each year, and the event includes 350 vendors from around the country showcasing their arts, crafts and food items.
In addition to apple pies, apple fritters and other delicacies, festival food options include Chinese, Greek, hamburgers, barbeque and more.
Gospel and bluegrass bands will perform, and the festival will also highlight local talent and dancers, as well as entertainment by the Unicoi County High School Drama Department.
The Unicoi County Family YMCA sponsors a children’s area.
Other events include apple-cooking contests for youth and adults, a four-mile race and two-mile race walk, an amateur photography contest and the 30th annual Blue Ridge Pottery show and sale, which is held at the Unicoi County Middle School.
Pets, bicycles and skateboards are not permitted on festival grounds.
For more information, call 423-743-3000 or click to www.unicoicounty.org.
Want To Go?
Date: Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Erwin, Tenn.
Cost: Free admission
Apple Facts
Apple trees originated in Central Asia and more than 7,500 cultivars of apples are grown throughout the world today.
English apple pie recipes date back to the 1300s.
More than 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with 35 percent of this total grown in China. The U.S. was the second leading producer, growing 7.5 percent of the world’s apples the same year. Other leading producers are Iran, Turkey and Italy.
According to the Watauga County Cooperative Extension website, recommended apple cultivars in North Carolina are Gala, Ginger Gold, Jonagold, Empire, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Crispin (Mutsu), Stayman, Rome and Fuji.
Haunted Horn Begins October 22
Southern Appalachian Historical Association (SAHA) and ASU Teaching Fellows will co-host the Haunted Horn at Horn in the West in Boone from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. nightly from Thursday to Saturday, October 22 to 24, and from Wednesday to Saturday, October 28 to 31.
Not for those who are weak of heart or for children under 9, the scary trail features ghosts and ghouls, butcher knives and chainsaws. The 2nd annual Trick-or-Treat is tentatively scheduled at the Hickory Ridge Homestead.
Admission to the Haunted Horn is $7 for ages 9 to 17 years and for college students who show their ID. Adult admission is $10.
For more information, call 828-264-2120 or click to www.horninthewest.com.
Want To Go?
Date: Thursday to Saturday, October 22 to 24/Wednesday to Saturday, October 28 to 31
Time: 7:00 to 11:00 p.m..
Location: Horn in the West, Boone
Cost: $7 ages 9 to 17 or college students with ID/$10 adults
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