Betty Garrison takes a few minutes to be named ‘Queen for a Day'

WARWICK - Not five minutes had elapsed after she was officially honored, when Betty Garrison began discussing her upcoming plans for Applefest. That devotion to duty is only one of the good reasons why the community had chosen to honor her. Garrison is first and foremost a dedicated volunteer for anything that will benefit her community. On Thursday evening, Aug. 23, during the 10th annual celebration of “Ladies Night Out,” Betty Garrison was crowned “Queen for a Day.” Each year “Queen for a Day” is an opportunity for a special lady to be recognized by her family or friends for her generous spirit, caring heart and selfless nature. The winner receives an assortment of gift certificates and merchandise from Warwick merchants totaling $1,000. This year, one particular nomination, submitted by Connie Hegner, caught their attention. “I believe Betty Garrison, or ‘Apple Betty’ as she is most affectionately called,” wrote Hegner, “should be ‘Queen for a Day’ because she is one incredible lady and one of the most selfless people there is.” Hegner went on to explain that Garrison has been “the backbone” of Applefest for the past 19 years. In recent years she has served as the coordinator of this event which has been selected as one of the top ten festivals in North America by the American Bus Association. Garrison and her committee members have the awesome responsibility of coordinating attractions that include approximately 275 artisans and attract over 30,000 visitors to Warwick in one day. “Keep in mind,” said her daughter Carol Bartnowski, owner of The Inkwell, “that’s she’s not a young woman and she recently spent several years successfully fighting a serious illness.” Bartnowski explained that four years ago, when her mother retired from working full time at The Inkwell, she devoted even more of her time to Applefest as well as continuing to volunteer for organizations such as Warwick Lions, Rotary and the Orange County Bicycle Club among others. “My mother,” said Bartnowski, “never refuses a request to help with registrations or to man a water station when an organization hosts a charity run or a bicycle race. And she is also ‘mom’ to many of our downtown merchants.” Garrison thanked everyone and explained why she volunteers: “My mother always told me,” said Garrison, “ that we may not have much money but we do have time and energy.”