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Warwick to celebrate 24th Applefest Sunday, Oct. 14

| 04 Oct 2012 | 01:36
    Local artist Jessica Annunziato designed the image for the Applefest 2012 T-shirts, which will be sold at Applefest.
    Local artist Jessica Annunziato designed the image for the Applefest 2012 T-shirts, which will be sold at Applefest.
    File photo by Rger Gavan Applefest has become one of the top fall events in the northeast attracting large crowds to the village of Warwick. This photo from last year's festival shows Railroad Avenue looking toward Oakland Avenue and Main Street.
    File photo by Rger Gavan Applefest has become one of the top fall events in the northeast attracting large crowds to the village of Warwick. This photo from last year's festival shows Railroad Avenue looking toward Oakland Avenue and Main Street.

WARWICK — Warwick’s largest annual event is only a little more than a week away.
Applefest has traditionally been held on the first Sunday in October.
But in a departure from the usual scheduling, this year’s celebration was postponed until the second Sunday at the request of local apple orchard owners.
If held on the first Sunday, the event would be combined this year with the long Columbus Day weekend, rather than occur on one of the two best apple-picking weekends of the year.
Therefore, the Town of Warwick will roll out its usual red carpet on next Sunday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for an estimated 30,000 visitors to the 24th annual celebration of Applefest.
The traditional festival, the area’s most well attended street fair, has been held since 1989 to celebrate the local apple harvest.
The event is co-produced by the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Warwick Valley Community Center.
Each year local residents and visitors travelling from neighboring states look forward to experiencing Warwick¹s extraordinary selection of apples, culture, and entertainment.

Among many ‘best’ events

In 2002 the American Bus Association voted Applefest one of the top 10 festivals on its list of best events in North America. Applefest was also the proud winner in the Times Herald-Record’s “Best of 2010 and 2011 - Family Event of the Year” category, determined by reader votes.
The festival will host over 240 craft and food vendors, a variety of free live stage performances including music and dance groups, carnival rides for children, a Farmers Market and apple pie baking contest.
Applefest is a major fund raiser and the proceeds from the event are used for town-wide community projects and 50 non-profit organizations, which participate in the annual celebration. And for many, Applefest is the one fund-raising event that provides necessary money to serve the community throughout the year.

Stay local

Want to avoid the Sunday crowds?
Families can enjoy rides, games, music and food prior to Applefest at Stanley-Deming Park.
The Warwick Valley Community Center will host two fun evenings on Friday, Oct. 12, from 5-10 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 13, from 4-10 p.m. Visitors may buy $15 wristbands on each evening for unlimited rides.
Traffic to and from the village is expected to be unusually heavy.
The Warwick Police Department urges residents to avoid driving near or through the village. There are special designated parking areas at the High School, Middle School, Park Avenue School and Veterans Memorial Park with shuttle service to and from the festival as required. Transportation for the disabled will be available at the Middle School parking area. Transportation for the disabled will be available at the Middle School parking area. Look for the signs.

Find out more

Visitor’s guide
The Chamber of Commerce and the Community Center will distribute their Applefest 2012 Visitors Guide free on the day of the event. The booklet contains schedules of Applefest events, transportation information, directories for craft/food vendors, wineries, u-pick apples, a map of the festival area,ads for local businesses, and more.

For additional information or to view the Applefest Visitor’s Guide online go to: www.warwickapplefest.com

Applefest apple pie contest

For information about the Applefest apple pie contest, call 845-986-4423.
For general information on pie baking or cooking with apples, contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Middletown at 845-344-1234.

The Warwick Valley Community Center

This multipurpose community center serves a population from four to 94 years of age. Founded in 1977, the center offers a preschool program, community enrichment classes and workshops, after-school programs for children and teens, a film series and a venue for concerts and theater.
Online at www.wvcommunitycenter.org.

Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce

The chamber is a full-service business development and marketing organization dedicated to helping businesses in the Warwick Valley. A number of initiatives makes consumers in the local municipalities and surrounding areas aware of the value that comes with purchasing goods and services in the Town of Warwick.
Online at www.warwickcc.org.

Sponsors
The Applefest committee members would also like to express their thanks and appreciation for the generosity of these year’s sponsors:

Gold: County Waste, Price Chopper, ShopRite, TAM Enterprises, Inc., TransTech and Warwick Valley Apple Trail
Silver: Cutco Sales / Logo Gifts, David Lerner Associates, East Coast Alternative Energy, Garden State Koi, GEICO, Golden Custom / Mudslinger Off Road, Green Mountain Energy Company, Mountain Creek, Nationwide Insurance, News 12 Hudson Valley, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., Pure Terror Scream Park at the Castle, Skylands Iceworld, Solar City, St. Anthony Community Hospital, TD Bank North, WTBQ Radio, WVT Communications.
Bronze: Family Orthodontics, Kuiken Brothers, Mount St. Mary College, Warwick Grove and Ye Olde Warwick Book Shoppe.