LIMA — If he were alive today, pioneer legend Johnny Appleseed would have looked fondly at the Allen County Farm Park on Saturday as a large crowd gathered to enjoy apple-related activities, contests and demonstrations.
The 25th annual Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District Apple Festival is a two-day event that features apple baking contests, cider-making demonstrations, live music, hayrides, barnyard animals, magicians and more. The event kicked off Saturday and runs through Sunday evening.
While the entertainment portion has expanded in recent years, Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District Director Kevin Haver said the main focus is still on the apples.
“We’ve got apple eating contests for the kids, apple desserts, apple dumplings, apple butter — just about everything that has to do with apples we’ve got going on here,” Haver said.
Haver added that the antique apple orchard on the Farm Park contains the original variety of apples that Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, grew in his home state of Massachusetts.
“We utilize those to demonstrate how apple cider could be made with a hand press,” he said. “It’s just for demonstration so we don’t actually sell the cider, but we like to show people how it can be done at home.”
Haver, who has been around for all 25 Apple Festivals, said the event has grown in both size and scope over the last quarter-century.
“We originally had this over in Heritage Park, but we outgrew it,” he said. “But it’s not just the physical size — the variety of events and activities, as well as the quality of the entertainment, has really improved over the years.”
New to this year’s event were bluegrass bands Home Grown Grass and Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, as well as children’s activities that were found in a large tent in the park.
The addition of new events and a larger location has drawn more people to the festival each year, Haver said. He expected this year’s event to draw 8,000 to 10,000 people over the course of the weekend.
“It’s just a fantastic family event, and it’s a relaxing atmosphere,” he said. “It’s free admission, and even the activities that cost a nominal fee are not that expensive. It’s very affordable for families.”
One family that attended this year’s festival was Cara Tobe and her four children. The Ada resident said she has attended other events Johnny Appleseed holds throughout the year, and decided to give the Apple Festival a try. She even brought an apple crumb pie for the baking contest.
“We just wanted to bring the kids out to a family-friendly event that they could be involved in,” Tobe said. “We had friends that come here and they said it’s fun, so we figured we’d check it out.”
Lima residents Samantha Miller and Brett Herzog brought their 1-year-old daughter to the festival, mainly to see the animals. Miller said it was a nice way to spend an afternoon with her family.
“I think it’s a nice place for the kids to come and enjoy,” she said. “There’s definitely a lot of good kid activities here.”
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Johnny Appleseed Metro Park Apple Festival at the Allen County Farm Park on September 24, 2016
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park Apple Festival at the Allen County Farm Park on September 24, 2016
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park Apple Festival at the Allen County Farm Park on September 24, 2016
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park Apple Festival at the Allen County Farm Park on September 24, 2016
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park Apple Festival at the Allen County Farm Park on September 24, 2016
photo by DENNIS SAAM for The Lima News.
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park Apple Festival at the Allen County Farm Park on September 24, 2016
