Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable..
Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.
The midway wasn’t as crowded as usual after an early-afternoon downpour, but thousands still came out during Saturday to enjoy the festival.
Chris Conrad flips apple fritters cooking in oil.
The midway wasn’t as crowded as usual after an early-afternoon downpour, but thousands still came out during Saturday to enjoy the festival.
Chris Conrad flips apple fritters cooking in oil.
KENDALLVILLE — Next weekend is October so you know what that means — Kendallville Apple Festival.
Back for its 36th year, the pioneer-period fall festival is returning Saturday and Sunday Oct. 1 and 2 and ready to once again push the fairgrounds to bursting with food, vendors and fun.
As usual, Apple Festival kicks off at 9 a.m. both days, with the fairgrounds closing up at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Last year was Apple Festival rebound year after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the event didn't seem to miss a beat in its return tour. Now with thoughts of the pandemic even farther in the public consciousness' past, expect the same kind of big crowds as usual.
Admission remains free as always, although people wanting to park at the fairgrounds will have to pay $5 for parking. Attendees can also utilize the free shuttle service, which picks up at Fairview Plaza near Rural King as well as East Noble Middle School on Drake Road.
Local residents will open up their yards and driveways for paid parking as usual, or people willing to hoof it can park further out and walk in as most of the streets right around the fairgrounds are either closed to traffic or have no-parking restrictions for the festival weekend.
Pets are not allowed with the exception of service animals, and attendees should also not bring firearms, bicycles, skateboards or roller skates into the festival grounds.
As usual, get ready for a festival filled with local food stands, craft and antique vendors, pioneer-era re-enactors, demonstrations, kids activities and live entertainment.
Raise-A-Ruckus will be back as usual with shows in the cow show arena at 10:45 a.m., noon, 1:15, 2:30 and 3:45 p.m. The folksy song and dance show, with plenty of audience participation, has once again clinched visits and participation from Miss Indiana Elizabeth Hallal and Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen Kayla Patterson.
Audience members at Raise-A-Ruckus can also get a preview of the upcoming East Noble Theatre season, as usual.
Other entertainment acts planned for the weekend include the return of the Applesauce Quartet, The Dawg, The Whip Guy, Lepiers Fork Bluegrass, story time with Mother Goose, the Village Dulcimer Players and the Incognito Cloggers, with shows running from 9 a.m. to through 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Performances rotate through the Open Prairie Stage (free entertainment pavilion), the Settlers Roost (swine barn/show arena), Little Pioneer village (kid's area) and Primitives (near Floral Hall).
Contests will once again include the Ladies Skillet Throw at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday and the Tomahawk Throw Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the north end of the primitives area. Contestants must be in costume to compete.
Would Apple Festival be Apple Festival without its food?
Your favorites are back yet again, with local booths lining the midway hawking everything from savory to sweets and everything in between.
This year, 34 food vendors are lined up, with about 90% of those run by local nonprofit organizations and groups. The big fundraising weekend helps support programming in Noble County throughout the year, including making the money for many local scholarship funds.
The offerings are too many to list, as always, but you'll be able to get your hands on eats including New Brunswick stew, fudge and chocolates, pulled pork sandwiches, German-roasted nuts, loaded baked potatoes, Hay stack potatoes, apple fritters, rib tips and beef brisket, pork tenderloins, elephant ears, pork cracklins, corn dogs, mini donuts, buffalo burgers, caramel corn, chicken and noodles and beef and noodles, deep-friend caramel pecan waffles, ham and bears, pancakes and sausage, pork burgers, vegetable beef soup, chicken sandwiches and boneless chicken wings, Reuben sandwiches, apple hamburgers, caramel apples and much, much, much more.
Pack your purse, because Apple Festival is once again boasting four buildings full of vendors.
Antique vendors will be set up in 30 booths in the Merchants Building offering furniture, primitives, pottery, quilts and linens, stoneware, figurines, glass items, textiles and more.
Up the midway, craft vendors will be selling in three locations in the cow barn, mini barn and the swine barn/show arena buildings.
In total you'll be able to find 95 vendors, again, selling more than can be listed at one time. That being said, you'll find a lot of the usual offerings — wooden decor of all types, crochet and knit items, hand-crafted jewelry and accessories, wretches, clothing, ceramics, potpurri, candles, essential oils, honey, soaps, pottery, metal art and more.
On the south end of the fairgrounds, the Dekko Children's Pioneer Craft Village returns with activities for kids including face painting, candle dipping, pony rides, straw maze and maypole swing.
Craft activities include clay, tin punch, Jacob's ladder, necklace beading, corn husk dolls and scherenschnitte activities.
Lastly, you can take a quick peek back at history with a variety of campers and demonstrations on the Apple Fest grounds.
The primitives area located near Floral Hall will host 10 spots, including period-costumed campers as well as blacksmiths and traders.
The log cabin will also have a variety of demonstrators showing off their crafts, including spinning, rug hooking, quilting, weaving and sheep sheering.
Apple Festival personalities including Johnny Appleseed, Abe Lincoln and Mother Goose will also be wandering the grounds, as usual.
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