National Apple Harvest Festival returns to Pennsylvania in October

09-17-2013

 

Adams County, Pennsylvania’s largest event celebrates the iconic fruit

 

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – September 17, 2013

 

Adams County, Pa., residents and visitors are eagerly anticipating the opening weekend of the 49^th Annual National Apple Harvest Festival, to be held Oct. 5-6 and 12-13. The festival, which takes place at the South Mountain Fairgrounds near Arendtsville, traditionally combines vendors, crafts, antique farm equipment and family fun with a celebration of one of the world’s most beloved fruits – the apple.

                                     

In addition to the more than 300 craft vendors, the festival offers apples in every form, from jellies, cider and pancakes to pizza, syrups, sausage and applesauce. Freshly-popped kettle corn, open pit beef and sweet potato French fries bring visitors back every year, while hayrides, a petting zoo and a puppet show highlight the family activities. Antique farm equipment and cars are also showcased along with an antique apple cider press.

 

The “1^st Apple Harvest Holiday” was held by the Adams County Fruitgrowers Association in October 1961, with the “Apple Harvest Festival” under the Upper Adams Jaycees officially debuting on Oct. 9, 1965. The festival then included attractions like the antique car display, orchard tours and the crowning of the 1965 Apple Blossom Queen. The Apple Harvest Festival has since grown immensely, expanding the celebration to two weekends in 1975.

 

“The Apple Harvest Festival has grown from a one-day event in 1965 to its current two full weekends through the hard work and dedication of the Upper Adams Jaycees, past and current, as well as the many volunteers just wanting to make a positive difference in our community with the profits from the event,” said Barb Althoff, chairman of the Board of Directors and entertainment chairman for the National Apple Harvest Festival.

 

The National Apple Harvest Festival, which is part of the popular Gettysburg Fruit & Wine Trail, will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and will take place rain or shine. General admission is $9 per person, with seniors (60+) $8 and children under the age of 12 free. Admission includes parking, shuttle services and all the attractions and exhibits.

 

“The National Apple Harvest Festival is truly a family event, with the many delicious and varied apple dishes in addition to a wide array of foods to please everyone’s palette,” Althoff said. “The setting is rustic and inviting and the whole atmosphere - fall foliage, mouth-watering aroma of the foods, all this and more - offer our patrons a truly down home feel good festival.”

 

For more information, visit www.appleharvest.com.

 

The Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, the official tourism promotion agency, markets Gettysburg – Adams County as a premier travel destination, producing a positive economic impact.

 

 

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