2 weeks Ago
In the weeks prior to St. John’s Methodist Church of Aiken’s 27th Applefest, there was concern there wouldn’t be any apples available from the mountains for North Carolina. “We didn’t know if we could get them,” said Leah Lewis, co-chair of the 2024 Applefest Leadership Team.
Each year the church buys apples for the festival from the Hendersonville Apple Cooperative, but orchards in the area had been impacted by Hurricane Helene at the end of September. “They told us they lost 35,000 bushels of apples,” said volunteer Bob Fogle. On Friday, Nov.
1, a church member arrived with apples for the festival, hauling a trailer containing 55 cases of 10 varieties, totaling 2,200 pounds. The varieties were Arkansas Black, Stayman Winesap, Pink Lady, Ambrosia, Candy Crisp, Jonagold, Cameo, Mutsu, Rome and Golden Delicious, the variety which sold out within an hour. A chart listed the sweet or tart attributes of each variety, and whether each was suitable for eating out-of-hand or to make applesauce, apple pie or apple butter.
The annual event raises money for local and regional charities by selling apples and donated items such as household goods, clothes, toys, books and antiques, as well as frozen home-cooked meals, homemade baked goods, quilts and jewelry. Last year’s event raised $42,000, Lewis said. This year’s recipients will be the Salvation Army, the Aiken/Augusta Wounded Warriors and the Salkehatchie Aiken Sand River Camp.
The festival was expanded this year to include Friday evening, when patrons could donate $10 and shop early. Lewis said 167 people attended Friday night. “It’s been wonderful,” Lewis said after the doors opened Saturday morning.
“Last night was a true blessing.” Senior Pastor Tim McClendon roamed the festival with a cordless microphone, providing hype-man commentary. He wore the headgear he wears every year, a green skateboarding helmet with red spikes and skate-punk graffiti he bought at his first Applefest 11 years ago.
“Hot apple pies! Hot apple pies! That will kick off your morning in style!” McClendon enthusiastically told the shoppers. “I’m just so proud of our Methodist Women working hard collecting things all year long. It’s amazing, what they’ve done,” McClendon said later.
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“The volunteers have been doing this for years. It’s a well-oiled machine,” she said. “Everybody’s done it for so long it just falls together,” said co-chair Sharon West.
Rented tables arrived on Monday for displaying sale items and baked goods Every day leading up to Applefest volunteers unpacked and arranged books, housewares, sporting goods, clothing, and jewelry. All through the week volunteers in the church kitchen made dough for the apple dumplings and fried pies that were being cooked and sold in a central breezeway Saturday between the gymnasium full of books and other items. The room displayed clothing, and the worship space housed the silent auction items.
The event was scheduled to end at 2 p.m. Saturday, when the cleanup would begin, led by the men of the church.
“Usually by 5 p.m. you can’t tell that anything had happened here,” Lewis said.
Unsold items are donated to ACTS, the Salvation Army and other groups, and arrangements had been made for clothing and other items to be received by Hurricane Helene victims in western North Carolina. “Nothing will be left that’s useable,” Lewis said. On Saturday morning Hernando and Teresa Cabeza exited their first Applefest with a lamp, some shelving, a decorative sign, a how-to book and two plaid stuffed animals.
They had moved to Aiken in June after three years in Graniteville and more than 30 years in Los Angeles. “I wasn’t expecting it to be a yard sale. I thought it would just be apples.
” Teresa Cabeza said, adding that she’d be back next year. Hernando Cabeza said he enjoyed the Applefest and living in Aiken. “The South has so much to offer.
It’s very laid back. Very easy going. What a wonderful place this is.
We love it here.”.
