Apple Festival takes a bite out of fall

Written by Deborah Patterson Thursday, October 25, 2012 03:21 pm

The Piney Hollow Drifters provided old time mountain music at the Apple Festival. Pam Kilcoyne is on violin, Sylvia Burt on hammered dolcimer, Alan Chambers on bass and Bob Burt plays a 12-string yotar.

GREENFIELD – A warm fall day on Saturday, Oct. 20 had me heading to the Gandy Homestead on Tyler Road in Greenfield for the annual Apple Festival held by the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township.

I met by friend Deb Saltarelli there for lunch but no more apple turnovers or apple dumplings were left and it was only noon. However, apple cider was available to go with our hot dogs and plenty of shaded tables which we shared with Liz Orr and her family, Dan Orr and Becca and Sophia Thomas. I gave Becca her color swatch for her bridesmaid dress at my daughter Emily's wedding. Emily went to the local paint store and picked out her colors, then gave each girl a color swatch to match up to her dress.
Deb had never been to the Gandy place, having moved from Ocean City, so we toured the farmhouse with its quaint period furnishings and met Carol Williams downstairs in costume and Harriet Reardon Bailey upstairs, both former teachers and now members of the society. We also checked out the barn with all of the old tools and machinery, the smoke house the three-seat privy and the wind-powered water pump.
A walk down the path through the grape arbor brought us to Marj Bixby, another former teacher, decked out in a necklace and earrings made of miniature ears of Indian corn. She was selling apple butter along side of her sister-in-law, Debbie Bixby. Debbie and I talked about all the fun we had at our recent Ocean City High School class reunion. (See the Spotlight column of Sept. 19.)
I saw Janice Annarelli with her mother-in-law Peggy (Margaret) Annarelli and also Tom and Carolee Drinkard. Debbie Young walked by and called "Hi Mrs. Debbie" She still calls me that. Hey, that makes at least four women named Debbie there. I should have had someone photograph us all together.
Tyson Merriman arrived to judge the apple pie contest along with Johnny Appleseed (portrayed by Jim Birchmeier). This year there was even an apple cake with a sign on it saying, “When you're out of pie, let them eat cake."
Once again the Historical Preservation Society had their old-time ballot box on site to allow people to "vote" for their presidential candidate of choice. I was told by several people that the outcome of their 2000 and 2004 votes correctly predicted the winners of those presidential elections.
Well, this time 219 votes were counted and Mike Houdart announced that Republican candidate Mitt Romney received 58 percent of the votes. Will this be indicative of the nation's vote? We'll find out on Nov. 6.

Becca Thomas, of Seaville, and her daughter Sophia, stopped by the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township’s Apple Festival at the John Wesley Gandy Farmstead on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Having fun at the AppleFest are Jacob and Noah Schneider with Lexie Sharp.

Jim Birchmeir (as Johnny Appleseed) places his “vote

Enjoying the beautiful weather, entertaining music and good food are (from left) Ruth Adams, of Beesleys Point, and Nancy and Jim Lutz, of Seaville.

Christine and Tori Wright entered the festival’s apple pie contest. Tori baked a pie but Christine's mother sent in an apple cake with the sign, “If you’re out of pie, let them eat cake.” She wanted equal rights for cake.