The Apple Festival In Kendallville, Indiana

My husband and I look forward each year to the first weekend in October. Why? I'm glad you asked! That's when Kendallville has the Apple Festival.

Each year there are thousands upon thousands of people cluttered into the small town of Kendallville the first weekend in October. They come from all over the country. To enjoy great food, home made items, and entertainment. The Apple Festival is from Saturday (9:00A.M. to 6:00 P.M.) and Sunday (9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.) Apon arriving in Kendallville you may choose to park at the Fair Grounds or park at one of the few places where there is a free shuttle service. If you do choose to park at the Fair Grounds there is a $3.00 parking fee. The free shuttles are located at the following places: East Noble High School, No-sag parking lot, and Main Street Village.

Lets first talk about the shopping! Don't worry there is an ATM on site if you happen to run out of money! There are many booths set up selling antiques. I don't recommend taking children into the Antique building! If there is something that you've been looking for and haven't been able to find it, you can probably find it in with antiques! They have everything!

What attracts the most shopping though, is the crafts! Everyone loves home made things! You can find clothes, blankets, dishes, furniture, etc. This is the most cluttered area of the Apple Festival so be prepared to spend alot of time there if planning to look around.

The is also some shopping at the Main Street Village located downtown Kendallville on Main Street. You can find more crafts there along with candles and other knick knacks.

There is also a children's pioneer craft village. Your children can learn how to do tin punching, weaving, make bead necklaces, make cornhusk dolls, bird feed, and clay. They can also try their hands at some games and fun. There's candle making, a straw maze, rope bridge, maypole swings, pony rides on meryy-go-round, a sawdust scramble, face painting, headbands, fishing pond game, apple bowling, and old time basketball. There is plenty for children to do and have fun doing it. Also, they get to learn about the "old" days!

There are tons of demonstrations that go on at the Apple Festival! You can watch and learn how to do all of the following:

Spinning

Wheat Weaving

Scherenschnitte

Dulcimer Making

Bobbin Lace

Tinsmith

Quilting

Wood Carving

Flint knapping

Handcrafted benches

Baskets

Handmade soaps

Hand-hewn bowls

Treadle sewing machine

Sculpted Clay Dolls

Stained Glass

Silk Embroidery

Hand quilting on vintage frame

Dried floarl wreaths

Crocheting, knitting, tatting

Floral arrangements, swags, shadow boxes, painted chairs, sweet annie

Leather tooling, custon sheath making, lacing

Pen and ink, watercolor

Observation beehive, dipping beeswax candles

Picture framing and matting

Mini straw bales

Sheep shearing

There is also a show that is put on by the East Noble High School Show Choir called "Raise A Ruckus" in the Show Arena on both days at several times during the day. They work very hard to prepare for this show and do it wonderfully each time! For more entertainment there is a Civil War Encampment, a string band, cloggers, a magician, barber shop quartet, ventriloquist, and so much more!!!

There are several contests that go on during the Apple Festival as well. They are:

Festival Favorite Food- vote for your favorite food

Frog Flippin'

Apple Baking Contest

Apple Seed Spitting

Baked Goods Auction

Ladies Skillet Throwing

Tomahawk Throw

Cross Cut Saw Contest

Fiddle, Banjo & Harmonica Contest

Now last but not least lets talk food! The best part of Apple Festival! If you go hungry at Apple Festival you went to the wrong one! You can get anything from an Apple Burger (its made with applesauce in the beef) to Haystack Potatoes (they take a whole potatoe and twirl it around and around their skinner and deep fry it YUM!!) to a pickle on a stick! There are usually about 40 different food stands. However, please keep in mind that your food is made the it was made back in the "Good Ole Days". You won't find ovens, electric deep fryers, or stoves with burners! Everything is made over the open fire! So if it takes awhile for your food to be prepared just remember that it will be fresh from the fire!

Now that I've shared my favorite local attraction with all of you, I really hope that someday each one of you can come and experience our Apple Festival first hand. You can listen to different people tell you about it but until you see it and do it yourself you just can't understand it! So come visit us at our Apple Festival! Located in little town of Kendallville, IN. Don't worry we have 2 hotels plus more outside of Kendallville in other towns within a short drive!