Warwick skies clear for Applefest

Crowds aside, event provides a valuable service to the community, By Roger Gavan WARWICK - Some Applefest vendors were ready to throw in the towel. And traffic in and out of Warwick was unusually light as it rained heavily on Sunday morning, Oct. 1. Near mid-day, however, the skies cleared and although it’s estimated that crowd levels were off by about 30 per cent, visitors soon filled the streets of downtown Warwick. There was, however, a brief shower around 3 p.m., but the mood was festive as strangers took shelter under vendor tents and enjoyed the opportunity to converse and joke about the weather with each other. It seems that Applefest, Warwick’s largest and most well attended event, has always enjoyed pretty good weather. But that may not be entirely true. Betty Garrison, co-coordinator for this year’s event, recalls that the very first Applefest, 18 years ago, was almost wiped out by Hurricane Hugo, which struck this area in the early afternoon. However, since then, it’s been clear sailing except for one brief early morning rain many years ago and the heavy rain which threatened to disrupt the celebration this past Sunday. The traditional festival has been held since 1988 to celebrate the local apple harvest. This year, Applefest played host to about 300 craft and food vendors. There was also free entertainment, children’s rides and a traditional apple pie contest. Yvonne Wade won both first and second place in that contest. The judges select the winning pies by number and do not know the name of the baker until afterwards. Kristie Marie Dugan, 13, was the first place winner among the junior entries. The 2006 Applefest Visitors Guide was also distributed. It contains vendor names and contact information, events schedule, artists, entertainment locations and educational material about apple varieties and the history of the apple in New York State. The guide also included a map of local orchards open to apple picking. Each year the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Warwick Valley Community Center host Applefest 2006. Local businesses also help sponsor the popular event. Applefest is a major fundraiser and much needed proceeds from the event are used for town-wide community projects and non-profit organizations. There are 30 non-profit organizations that participate in the annual celebration. In spite of the magnitude of the event, the largest in Orange County and one of the largest in the Country, Applefest is surprisingly cost effective. Waste Management, Inc., for example, not only collects the garbage without charge but also pays for the privilege of prominently displaying its logo on the containers. Firefighters, members of the Ambulance Corps. and even officers from the Sheriff’s Department all volunteer their time. And, in return for a donation from the Applefest Committee, members of non-profit organizations also volunteer their time to perform numerous tasks before and after the event. They all do a good job. Anyone visiting downtown Warwick on the day following the event would have trouble believing that almost 30,000 people had crowded the streets only one day before. 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. “For many,” said Linda Glohs, executive director of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce, “Applefest is their major fundraiser for the entire year.” With the exception of restaurants, Warwick merchants may not see any significant increase in sales on Applefest Sunday. However, they do benefit from the exposure, returning visitors and priceless publicity for the Village that includes mention in major publications, including The New York Times as well as all local media. “We also give local businesses preference if they wish to be a vendor that day,” said Glohs. Although Warwick residents have been known to grumble about the crowds and heavy traffic during Applefest, Glohs believes that in recent years most people have learned that the non-profit organizations, like the Warwick Community Center, who depend on this income, provide a valuable service to the community throughout the year. “It’s only one day. And just look at all the good it does,” she said.