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Applefest draws thousands - again

| 17 Oct 2012 | 09:43
    Applefest draws thousands - again
    Photo by Roger Gavan View of Railroad Avenue and Railroad Green.
    Photo by Roger Gavan View of Railroad Avenue and Railroad Green.
    Photo by Roger Gavan A demonstration by Warwick's United Martial Arts Center. Additional images can be found online at warwickadvetiser.com.
    Photo by Roger Gavan A demonstration by Warwick's United Martial Arts Center. Additional images can be found online at warwickadvetiser.com.
    The Community Drumming Circle with Kofi Donkor was popular with both children and adults.
    The Community Drumming Circle with Kofi Donkor was popular with both children and adults.
    Volunteer Pat Colman at the Knights of Columbus food stand. Non-profits benefit each year from Applefest.
    Volunteer Pat Colman at the Knights of Columbus food stand. Non-profits benefit each year from Applefest.
    Photo by Fern Parkin The Apple Pie Contest volunteers, rear, from left: Phoebe Huttner (judge), Ruth Durland (judge) and Marie DeMarmels (coordinator of event); front from left, 4H teen members Autumn Ericsson, Sydney Parkin and Bridgett DeHann.
    Photo by Fern Parkin The Apple Pie Contest volunteers, rear, from left: Phoebe Huttner (judge), Ruth Durland (judge) and Marie DeMarmels (coordinator of event); front from left, 4H teen members Autumn Ericsson, Sydney Parkin and Bridgett DeHann.
    Photo by Roger Gavan Father George Kevorkian, pastor of St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church in the Village of Florida,with Warwick businessman Leo Kaytes, chairman of the St. Ignatius Council. The Church, with its popular food stand, was one of the non-profits that benefit from Applefest.
    Photo by Roger Gavan Father George Kevorkian, pastor of St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church in the Village of Florida,with Warwick businessman Leo Kaytes, chairman of the St. Ignatius Council. The Church, with its popular food stand, was one of the non-profits that benefit from Applefest.
    Photo by Roger Gavan Volunteers from Goodwill Hook and Lader Co. serve hamburgers and hot dogs.
    Photo by Roger Gavan Volunteers from Goodwill Hook and Lader Co. serve hamburgers and hot dogs.
    Photo by Roger Gavan The crowd on Railroad Avenue.
    Photo by Roger Gavan The crowd on Railroad Avenue.

WARWICK — A coat check station for the 2012 celebration of Applefest would have been welcome.

The morning of Sunday, Oct. 14, started out damp, cool and cloudy but by mid-day it was unseasonably warm and sunny as the Village of Warwick and the organizers welcomed an estimate of almost 30,000 visitors to the 24th annual celebration of Applefest.

The traditional festival has been held since 1989 to celebrate the local apple harvest.

This year, Applefest again played host to about 240 craft and food vendors and there was free entertainment, children’s rides and a traditional apple pie contest.

Each year the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Warwick Valley Community Center host Applefest. The popular festival is a major fund raiser and much needed proceeds from the event are used for town-wide community projects and non-profit organizations.

In spite of the magnitude of the event, the largest in Orange County and one of the largest in the Country, Applefest is cost-effective. Members of non-profit organizations perform numerous tasks before and after the event.

Applefest earns its keep by renting space to vendors and organizations and by sharing the amusement income with the company that provides the rides. Most of the non-profit organizations serve food or sell retail items. And for many, Applefest is the major fund raiser for the entire year.

The final tally for this year’s event will not be available for several weeks. Last year's Applefest raised more than $70,000.

Although the day can be an inconvenience to some residents, the funds earned are used to support valuable services for everyone throughout the year. And many of these services would normally have to be paid with additional taxes or donations.



By Roger Gavan