Apple Butter Festival: The family tradition returns after 2-year hiatus
Oct. 4—One of the largest and longest running fall festivals in West Virginia, the 47th annual Apple Butter Festival in historic Berkeley Springs will return on Oct. 8 and 9.
After being cancelled for two years due to the pandemic, festival organizers are excited to bring the festival back.
A nostalgic hometown parade with the theme All Together Now kicks off the festivities on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. followed by two days of family-friendly games and contests, music, country food, arcade games, fine arts and local crafts. The undisputed star of the festival remains the spicy apple butter being stirred in giant copper kettles in the Square, and Greenwood Community Center is taking center stage in this crucial effort that creates lifelong memories for so many festival-goers. Folks can take a stir at the kettles, experience the mouthwatering aroma and carry off fresh-made apple butter.
Grand marshal for the 2022 parade is powerhouse Empire Cheer. In five years, this local group has gone from one team practicing in a church to five teams with over 60 first place banners and 18 national titles in their own practice facility. They will perform in the parade and also at the Berkeley Springs State Park bandstand Saturday afternoon.
The Craft Beer Garden will offer samples from local breweries and distributors, while acoustic bluegrass outfit All Grassed Up performs there both days. Axe Hole axe throwing will be held in the beer garden this year.
The Festival Food Court will offer barbecue, funnel cakes, corn dogs and fried Oreos, as well as trucks serving tacos, crab cakes and Greek foods.
Saturday's music opens with Devil In The Hills Band, a groovy gumbo of country, swing, blues, rock and swamp boogie with Mary Hott & Billy Thompson. Saturday afternoon features the Carpenter Ants with their old-time rhythm and blues, gospel and country funk sound. The Ants are one of West Virginia's longest lasting bands, fine musicians and frequent performers on the internationally renowned Mountain Stage radio show. Bluegrass group Marv Ashby and High Octane will perform on Sunday.
Family-friendly games draw crowds to watch gentlemen strut their faces as their beards are judged for length, softness and style; amateurs calling hogs; rubber ducks racing down the town's natural springs; and pairs of contestants tossing raw eggs.
The event also has an apple bake contest, which will be judged by Netflix "Is it Cake?" and "Halloween Wars" Food Network star Steven Weiss, associate dean of culinary arts and hospitality at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College.
West Virginia wines are featured vendors, along with local produce, honey, home preserves and apple butter. More than 100 artists and craftspeople will display and sell their work in the streets, local shops and at the Ice House.
There is no admission fee. Free parking at the outskirts of town with a trolley shuttle is available, along with modestly priced parking lots downtown run by civic groups.
For more information, call 304-258-3738, or visit berkeleyspringschamber.com/apple-butter-festival.
