Applefest offers plenty to see, do and taste | News, Sports, Jobs

FALL FUN – Robin James and her 11-month-old granddaughter, Juliet Simpson, watch Theodore Simpson, 4, Tyler Van Camp and Kendra James work together in Saturday’s pumpkin carving competition at the Wellsburg Applefest. . -Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — In its 45th year, the Wellsburg Applefest offered area residents plenty to see, do, hear and taste this weekend.

Hundreds of people walked through the downtown business district, where streets were lined with an assortment of food and other vendors and various artists performed in the town square.

Aiming to attract visitors of all ages, the three-day festival included model train rides through city streets and apple pie, pumpkin decorating and pumpkin carving competitions, complete with children using safety knives to carve jack-o-lanterns with the help of parents and other adults.

Along Charles and Seventh streets were numerous vendors selling an assortment of sandwiches, treats and merchandise ranging from Cornhole game boards to seasonal indoor and outdoor decorations.

Among them were members of three local volunteer fire departments.

ALL ABOARD — Many Wellsburg Applefest visitors enjoyed a miniature train ride through the city streets during the three-day festival, which also included a variety of food and other vendors, live performances and other activities. -Warren Scott

Darin Pizer, an officer with the Franklin Community Fire Department, noted that members there have been selling various varieties of fudge for several years and added chip pies to their stand this year.

The department was selling chances for its Black Friday drawing, which will take place on November 22. For $5, participants will have the chance to win $2,500 in cash and $2,500 in gift cards.

No more than 2,500 copies will be sold.

Pizer said the department also accepts sponsors for luminaries placed along Commerce Street (State Route 2) and other city streets at Christmas.

It is a holiday tradition that the department performs by firefighters in memory of Ron Ostrosky, a department leader who organized it for many years, and they are often helped by members of his family and friends. other volunteers.

In its 45th year, the Wellsburg Applefest has offered area residents plenty to see, do, hear and taste. -Warren Scott

McKinleyville Fire Chief John Haas said the group is selling T-shirts to promote breast cancer awareness and chances of getting $3,000 worth of fresh meat, with each $20 bill including two numbers for the March 3 draw.

The department was also accepting donations for the family of Seth Burek, a 26-year-old McKinleyville firefighter who died Thursday of complications from cancer.

Members of the Wellsburg Fire Department said 10 percent of the profits from their own stand would be donated to the Burek family.

“We provide mutual aid to McKinleyville and we are one big family,” said Jeannette Paugh, who was one of the volunteers manning the booth.

She and others sold a wide assortment of scented candles, which became a regular fundraiser for the group at Applefest.

Paugh added that to support the department’s operations, the department hosts bingo every Thursday, except holidays, at Wellsburg Banquet Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., early bird games start at 6:30 p.m. and bingo starts at 7 p.m.

Some groups used the festival to share information.

Members of the Wellsburg Elks Lodge brought the West Virginia Elks Drug Information Trailer, which offered information on the dangers of drug abuse, while also selling apple balls and other foods .

Court Appointed Special Advocates volunteers from A Child’s Place invited the children to play a fishing pond game, complete with a toy fish and a rod.

They also shared information about volunteers trained to represent the interests of children involved in abuse and neglect cases in Brooke, Hancock and Jefferson counties.

Linda Amos was among the members of the Friends of Brooke County Public Libraries who offered free children’s books and information about programs through which children can receive free books before entering school.

Young visitors were invited to sit on a mat under the group’s tent and listen to a story read by one of the many guest readers.

Friends of the Libraries also sponsored the pumpkin decorating contest, distributing pumpkins and decorating materials in advance. The competition attracted 18 young participants.

The group was one of several organizations sponsoring various aspects of the festival.

Musical guests including an Elvis tribute artist, country singers, a rock band and others were sponsored by Mark’s Carry Out and the Cross Law Office. Traubert Pharmacy funded the train rides, while Main Street Bank supported free makeup for the children.

In its 45th year, the Wellsburg Applefest has offered area residents plenty to see, do, hear and taste. -Warren Scott

The Wellsburg Ford Team sponsored a classic car show, hosted by Fred Marino, which attracted more than 135 vehicles.

The festival was inspired by the discovery of the Grimes Golden apple on Thomas Grimes’ farm on Washington Pike in 1832.

The seeds of this variety of fruit were allegedly provided by Johnny. “Apple seeds” Chapman. Although he is now considered a legendary figure, Chapman was a real person known for planting apple trees in five states and Ontario while sharing the Christian gospel.

A nutcracker depicting Chapman and created by the Nelson family behind Steubenville’s Nutcracker Village was on display at the Brooke County Historical Museum and Cultural Center on Charles Street.

Among the many visitors to the museum Saturday were Robert Scott of Steubenville and Dan Lauricella, a friend of Scott’s from Saratoga, New York.

Scott explained that he was always looking for unique settings for photos taken for his Instagram site and had enjoyed shopping at the antique stores open on Charles Street throughout the year.

When asked what he enjoyed most about the festival, he replied: “Definitely the music. We usually buy something to take home: jams, cakes and pies.

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