Friday’s Last Spoonful: National Apple Harvest Festival

A tempting fruit with many applications

Loads of apples used to make apple cider on site

Every year during the first two weekends of October, thousands of people drive to Adams County, Pa., for The National Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville. The celebration has been organized and sponsored by the Adams County Jaycees for more than 40 years. The Mixed Stew crew attended this year’s festival and left with bags of freshly picked apples, half-gallon jugs of apple cider, and caramel apples. (Oh, and tummies filled with various apple delights, too.) General admission was $9.00 and kids (12 and under) are FREE. Senior citizens paid $8.00. Organizers provided pamphlets with a detailed map and events scheduled in the Apple Auditorium, Appleseed Stage, and several other stages on the festival grounds. The Redneck Limo and Country Cadillac tractors with trailers shuttled visitors from a nearby parking lot to and from the entrance gate.

Machines run an old-fashion cider press

A freshly cooked apple fritter with powder sugar
Crowds walk by vendors

Bring spending money to buy apple fritters, funnel cakes, apple sausage sandwiches, barbecue chicken, pulled pork, and pit beef…etc. The apple slushees were also great. There were craftsmen and vendors selling different knick-knacks and novelty gifts. There were antique engines on display as well as a wood shingle processor in full operation. Specialty food items such as apple butter, freshly made scrapple, fried pork rinds (mmmmmm), and apple cookies were also available.

Gallons of apple cider for sale

The National Apple Festival is worth a visit if you're in the region. The festival has tons of activities for children with pony rides, a petting zoo, and face painting. Everyone can watch apple cider being pressed the old-fashioned way. The highlight of this year’s trip was the bus tour of the apple orchards that surround the festival grounds. Buses stopped at one orchard and allowed each visitor to pick one apple right from the tree. Expect to learn a lot about the apple industry in Adams County and take in orchard scenery as far as the eye can see on the tour.

Apple trees in orchard