Contact: Erin Johnson
Phone: (800) 447-4094
Email: erin@bayfield.org
Fall colors and apples will be in abundance for 51st Annual Bayfield Apple Festival
Bayfield Apple Festival — A landscape hued with golden yellow, rustic red, and burnt orange foliage will greet visitors to this year’s 51st Annual Bayfield Apple Festival, which is just over a week away, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 5th – 7th, 2012.
In complement to the peak of autumn color in Bayfield County, there will be an abundance of Bayfield apple varieties on hand for the picking (and eating). “The ripening of many apple varieties will coincide well with this year’s festival,” says Jim Hauser, Jr. of Hauser’s Superior View Farm. As of this week’s “Orchard Update,” there were 14 different varieties of apples available among eight Bayfield orchards including plenty of Cortland and McIntosh, and limited quantities of the always coveted Honeycrisp. This year’s apple crop is reported to be ripening around one and a half weeks earlier than usual.
Bayfield Apple FestivalTouted by Wisconsin Trails magazine as Wisconsin’s “best” fall festival, Bayfield welcomes nearly 50,000 visitors over the three day weekend of Apple Festival, a celebration of the bounty of the fall harvest amidst the scenic beauty of the Bayfield Peninsula. The historic streets of Bayfield will be lined with local orchard stands, fine art exhibitors, crafters, and festival food booths throughout the three-day weekend. Music lovers can listen to Big Top Chautauqua’s Blue Canvas Orchestra perform at the Grandstand stage and enjoy appearances by the Pipes & Drums of Thunder Bay, a 20 member traditional Scottish pipe band.
Bayfield Apple FestivalKids can enjoy a children’s carnival and the Apple Dumpling Gang Contest, which offers little ones a chance to be introduced on the big stage and participate in the Grand Parade, an activities booth by the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore staff, an Apple Peeling Contest on Saturday afternoon, a glittering Venetian Boat Parade through the harbor on Saturday evening, and the weekend’s grand finale – a hometown parade featuring a 500 member Mass Band playing “On Wisconsin” on Sunday afternoon. A fun new feature this year is the Applefest family photo board, which was designed and painted by local artist Robert Holton. Photo face spots are reserved for families to pose and have memorable photographs taken to commemorate the festival.
Visitors will also enjoy activities at several of Bayfield’s orchards, ongoing cruises of the Apostle Islands, live entertainment at local pubs and Legendary Waters Resort and Casino, and a traditional fish boil dinner on Saturday afternoon, followed by an evening dance. Parking is available on the festival grounds and at several businesses. All booths are open from 10am to 5pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
A complete Apple Festival schedule of activities is available on bayfield.org . For more details and historic Apple Festival information, please visit the Bayfield Apple Festival Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Bayfield.Apple.Festival.
