Fox Valley festivals celebrate all things apple
They're in season right now, and they say eating one a day will keep the doctor away. On Sunday, Oct. 2, there will be two festivals celebrating all things apple.
One is the Heirloom Apple Fest which runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at Durant House Museum, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St. in St. Charles.
The other is Cider Fest, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the McHenry County Historical Society Museum, 6422 Main St. in Union.
Both promise to bring visitors back in time to see how people lived, worked and ate, and both will offer plenty of apple goodies.
Heirloom Apple Fest
The Heirloom Apple Fest, which has been held for more than two decades now, offers a chance for guests to sample a variety of rare apples not available in supermarkets.
You can sip savory ciders prepared in an 1840s hearth and take a tour through an 1880s Victorian kitchen where recipes like apple buckle are being prepared by costumed guides who will demonstrate how a pioneer apple drying basket works.
“We do this to take people's minds back in time and show what life was like in this area and what people had to do in harvesting apples and preserving them,” explained museum director Alice Maupin, who is organizing the event. “We're celebrating the fall season also.”
Maupin said visitors will appreciate the lovely museum which is nestled in a forest preserve, and touring the nearby Sholes Schoolhouse built in 1874.
“I just think it's a wonderful place and you can kind of step back in time there,” Maupin said of the grounds. “It's a great way to experience history.”
Admission is $3 for adults; $1 for kids. That fee covers the tour and apple sampling. Kids can play with old-fashioned toys and even do laundry if they want.
“They'll have to haul their own water,” said Maupin. “It's an old-fashioned kind of day.”
Cider Fest
Meanwhile, the 39th annual Cider Fest will feature Civil War re-enactors with the 36th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, live polka music by Charlie B and Friends, old-fashioned cider making, and a barn-raising demonstration. Apple baked goods will be for sale and a white-elephant sale will feature vintage clothing and lots of items donated by the former Fantasy Festival Costume Shop in Algonquin.
“If you're trying to get a good costume for Halloween, this is a good place to go,” said Kurt Begalka, administrator and organizer of the event.
Visitors can tour the Gannon Cabin, a log cabin built in 1843 and tour the 1895 West Harmony one-room school. They can also see how an old-fashioned 1880s cider press works.
In addition to the baked goods, visitors can purchase mums in assorted colors for $12 each, from Countryside Nursery in Crystal Lake.
“It's a fall festival and we've done a number of different things over the years with it,” Begalka said.
A converted school bus called “The James,” which serves as a mobile museum, will be open to the public. “It's the idea of bringing the museum to the people,” Begalka said.
One of the biggest draws may be the barn-raising event happening at 11:30 a.m.
“We'll demonstrate how they raised one of these barns back in the day, except on a smaller scale,” Begalka said. “We pick people out of the audience. It's actually really fun to see how they put this thing together.”
Ambitious bakers might want to enter the Apple Bake Off, a contest that costs $2 to register. Categories are: Best Apple Pie; Best Apple Cake; and Best Apple Squares/Bars. Entries are judged and then sold at the bake sale. Winners in each category will receive ribbons and a grand prize winner will be selected by Begalka.
The event draws a couple thousand people each year, depending on weather.
Admission to Cider Fest is free.
For information on Heirloom Apple Fest, call (630) 377-6424 or visit ppfv.org. For more on Cider Fest, call (815) 923-2267 or visit www.mchenrycountyhistory.org.
Cider Fest
<b>When:</b> 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2
<b>Where:</b> McHenry County Historical Society Museum, 6422 Main St. in Union
<b>Admission:</b> Free
<b>Details:</b> (815) 923-2267 or <a href="http://www.mchenrycountyhistory.org/">www.mchenrycountyhistory.org</a>
<b>Heirloom Apple Fest</b>
<b>When:</b> 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2
<b>Where:</b> Durant House Museum, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St. in St. Charles
<b>Admission:</b> $3 for adults; $1 for children
<b>Details:</b> (630) 377-6424 or <a href="https://ppfv.org/">ppfv.org</a>