Warm Applefest thanks

Editor’s note: Portions of this letter were garbled in the editing process when it initially appeared in last week’s Warwick Advertiser. The correct version appears here: To the editor: In what turned out to be an incredibly seasonable day on Oct. 7th, the Town of Warwick celebrated their 19th annual festival with the usual great crowds, wonderful food and crafts, music and entertainment. Claimed two years ago by the American Bus Association as one of the top 100 festivals in America, the Warwick Applefest continues to be an extremely popular event and important fund raising vehicle for many local and area non-profit organizations. Applefest was conceived in 1989 to celebrate the apple harvest and the wonderful apple orchards in the area. Since then, this event has become by far the largest fund raising endeavor for the two co-sponsors: The Warwick Valley Community Center and The Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce. It has evolved into an event that involves 10 months of planning and post-planning, includes a host of volunteers working hard for many months and could not be done without the support and effort from our local businesses, merchants, volunteer service organizations and government! Much of this planning is to create an enjoyable event that has the least amount of impact on the community. In addition to the co-sponsors, Applefest enables many non-profit groups and organizations to benefit significantly and it is indeed, for many of these groups, their largest annual fund raising opportunity as well. Because of the funds raised at Applefest, these local non-profit groups are able to have fewer fundraisers that are directed solely to the people of Warwick throughout the rest of the year. We certainly understand the feelings of some in our town, who tend to look upon this festival as a nuisance, distraction or just a royal pain in the neck. Indeed, it does create a traffic situation that is less than desirable. However, we would ask those individuals who choose only to see the negative aspects of the Warwick Applefest to focus on the significant positive impact that it has on many levels for those non-profit organizations that benefit greatly by this wonderful fund raising experience. Please also remember that it is only one day out of a year of days. Add to that the good impact it has on many of the businesses in town, not just from the increased volume realized on the day of, but the repeat business potential that is possible from those visiting our lovely area for the first time. Certainly the hope is that many will come back to enjoy shopping in all our Villages that make up our wonderful Town of Warwick. We believe that the positives of the day, that are extended to all parts of our community during the entire year, far outweigh any negatives experienced during the festival itself. Many thanks go out to all of the following, whose resources, time and assistance make this festival possible and successful: The Village of Warwick and the Village DPW (a special thanks to Bill Schmick), The Town of Warwick Police Department, Warwick Fire Police, Orange County Sheriffs, New York State Police, Warwick Ambulance Corps, Warwick Valley Central Schools, Mid-Orange Correctional, Kuiken Brothers Company, South Street Tire, Warwick Historical Society, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Warwick Press, Prudential Rand Realty, Key Bank, Warwick, LLC (Kennedy Companies), The Inkwell, Barbara Knapp/John W. Sanford Insurance, Bonacic, Krahulik & Associates, Tuscan Cafe, Mechanical Rubber and Creative & Design. OUR SPONSORS: County Waste and Mountain Creek (our lead sponsors), Coldwell Banker, HudsonValley.com, Provident Bank, ShopRite, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and WVT Communications. The Warwick Applefest Committee Connie Hegner and Betty Garrison, co-coordinators Michael Johndrow, Skip Rosner, Garrett Durland, Amy Noteboom, Janine Dethmers, Steve Regan, Carole Redner and Pam Grandinali