Taylorsville, NC – Fall is here so it’s time to get ready for the 30th Anniversary of the Taylorsville Apple Festival held in downtown Taylorsville in Alexander County, NC. The board and volunteers have been working hard all year to bring you a day filled with family fun and entertainment on Saturday, October 20th, 2018. The festival hours this year will be 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The festival will bring to town over 420 booths this year including the Kids Korner rides and vendors, numerous food booths, various craft and novelty vendors as well as some professional home building supply vendors along with many medical and informational booths all on the streets of Taylorsville for your enjoyment at the Apple Festival.
If you need or want it, I am sure you can find it at the Apple Festival this year. There will be lots to choose from to eat. There will be a host of different food vendors ranging from barbequed ribs, barbequed chicken and pulled pork, to steak sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey legs, egg rolls, chicken wings, Mexican food, Jamaican food, gourmet apples, blooming onions along with funnel cakes, homemade giant donuts, deep fried twinkies, kettle corn, fried apple pies, candy apples, ice cream, cheesecakes, cotton candy, fudge, cupcakes, homemade sweets, smoothies, Hawaiian ice and so much more.
Whether you are looking for a hardy meal or have a sweet tooth you can be sure to find it at the Apple Festival this year. New this year, we have added on a Blue Grass Stage which will bring us up to a total of four entertainment stages. The Blue Grass stage will be in the new Artisan Square and will be sponsored by Benfield Insurance. The Round Up Bluegrass band will be hosting the new Blue Grass Stage with a line-up starting in the morning with Doug Davis and the Blue Ridge Mountaineers, then our hosts Round up will be performing followed by Tri-County Blue Grass. The afternoon will bring Redeeming Grass and to finish us out that day will be the Catawba Blue Grass Band. We have a great line-up Main stage entertainment this year, located at the new Alex. Co. Courthouse Park.
We have finally been able to get Elvis to come to our Apple Festival so our fall crowd can see what only the spring crowd has got to witness. What a great entertainer Stephen Freeman is with his Echos of a Legend “Elvis” performance. The Main stage will once again be hosting a variety of music including performances by Chad Triplett and Two Lane Blacktop, Red Dirt Revival, Firebone ; with some of our popular home grown performers from various counties the Clater-Kaye Theatreworks, our local dance studios, plus showcasing our own ACHS Band, and EAST Band. The Gospel stage will bring numerous gospel groups; a few local hometown favorites; Redeeming Grass, Round Up and the Barnes Family as well as numerous groups from out of town including the Heavenview Singers, Cross Anchored, Sounds of Victory, Tony Burchette and our special performance by Shellem Cline. Make sure to visit Matt Helms from JOY FM that will be setup at the Gospel Stage and who will be the Host and MC for the day at the Gospel Stage.
The Kids stage located in the Kids Korner will have numerous types of dance provided by All That Dance, Parallel Dance Collaborative and also musical entertainment including our ACHS, EAST and WEST Bands, and the Clater-Kaye Theatreworks, The Asheville Christmas Show, Miss Treva’s School of Dance, The Ann Freeman School of Dance and our 1st ever Halloween Costume and Pumpkin Decorating Contest sponsored by Creating on Main. Make sure to check out the schedules for all four stages on our Facebook page for any changes as the event draws near.
Make sure to visit the Kids Korner behind BB&T where you will be able to ride the ponies, ride the camels and spend some of the day on the rides and attractions furnished this year by Recreational Equipment out of Huntersville, NC. We will also have the Carriage Rides back by popular demand from Horse and Carriage, LTD. Go take a turn at the HUMAN HAMSTER BALLS found up at the Alex. Co. Courthouse Park. What fun that promises to be!!
If you are a student, in any of our Alexander County Schools, make sure to try to find your principal of your school in the crowd so you can win the “FREE Lunch Out with Your Principal Award”. Take time to say hey to our resident fairy Brucie Abella and see if she has brought any new fairy friends with her to this year’s Apple Festival. She will actually be able to be found in the Sugartree Forest this year in the Kids Korner. Wendy will also be here for you to talk to and receive coupons from her to eat out at one of the restaurants that she owns. Also look for the Buffalo Beal’s petting zoo and the numerous face painters all happening in and around the Kids Korner where there will also be fun activities and games for the kids all throughout the day. After you have played for a while catch a ride on the Little Blue Choo and have some fun with engineer Rick Walker. Be sure to stop by and visit the Car, Truck and Bike show in the Town Ball Park where registration will begin at 9:00 am with judging starting at 1:30 pm. There will be three trophies to be given per class; Farthest Distance, Club Participation and Best of Show.
We will also be having several Nascar race cars setup on the Taylosrville Savings Bank parking deck for everyone to enjoy. The VFW will also be bringing some Military Vehicles to enjoy. If you are great at making desserts don’t forget to enter our Apple Dessert Contest or if you would like, enter the Apple Peeling Contest. We also have a contest for the kids again this year; the Kids Candy Apple Art contest.
Don’t forget to go and see if you can win the Halloween Costume or the Pumpkin Decorating contests on the Kids Stage from 11:00am – 11:30am. Make sure to read about the requirements for this and the cash prizes that you can win in the Taylorsville Times insert the week of the festival. Also allow some time to stop by and get your flu shot early this year at booth 202 where Phil and the Peoples Drug employees will be there to assist you. Also look for the numerous booths in the Professional area and the booths up beside the courthouse lawn that will be offering sign-ups for lots and lots of “free giveaways”, tickets to buy chances on numerous prizes and register to win a couple of $5,000 home improvement contests or a $150 gas card. Stop and visit the Shriners in front of the Presbyterian Church to buy their famous Chirstmas boxed country ham.
There is so much this year to do there’s just not enough room to list it all. What a fun filled day it promises to be! Make sure to stop by the various apple vendors and get you a bag of locally grown apples or some delicious cider to take with you as you leave. Also new this year, stop by and be sure to pick up some locally grown muscadines. There will be something for everyone to do, buy and enjoy so please come out and support the Taylorsville Apple Festival Inc. as we try to bring the community a great annual event.
Email address: [email protected] Website address: www.alexandercountyonline.com/applefestival
If you are a vendor and would like to participate in the festival, there are only a few booths left so just call the Taylorsville Apple Festival office at (828-632-2999) or stop by our office so you can be sure to have a spot for what seems to be one of our best Apple Festivals’ yet. As always remember that the Taylorsville Apple Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charity and all of our proceeds above operating costs go to the Needy Children’s Benevolence Funds in our 13 Alexander County Schools.
