You can celebrate apples and the fall harvest season when Applefest returns to Lang Pioneer Village Museum in Keene from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 2nd.
As well as finding out how 19th-century settlers preserved the fall harvest and prepared for the arrival of winter, you can enjoy a wide variety of family-friendly activities and, of course, apples.
Along with horse-drawn wagon rides, the event will feature historic demonstrations throughout the village including spinning, rug hooking with the Northumberland Rug Hookers Guild, natural dyeing, chair caning, flour grinding at the Lang Grist Mill, cider pressing at the Cider Mill, threshing at the Horse Barn (morning only), and an antique clock and timepiece display brought by the Quinte Timekeepers.
At the Ayotte Cabin, historic reenactors the 41st Battalion of Brockville Rifles 1st Company will be performing military drills and marching. Live traditional music will be performed by Lotus & Luke on the Weaver Shop Porch, along with the Cheryl Casselman Trio at the Agricultural Barn and Rob Cory in the Hotel Bar Room.
For the kids, there will be a scavenger hunt, old-fashioned schoolyard games at the South Lake School, apple-themed craft making on the Village Green, and the chance to visit with the lambs.
Applefest wouldn’t be Applefest without apples, and you can enjoy hot or cold apple cider and freshly baked apple treats from the Keene Hotel, with bushels of apples and fresh apple cider available for sale. You can also indulge your sweet tooth with candy apples at the Cider Mill.
Dedicated apple fans can enter the apple pie-eating contest at 2 p.m. on the Village Green, where participants are challenged to eat an apple pie the fastest — but without using their hands.
There will also be other food available for sale, including chili and buns at the Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building, kettle corn and candy floss from Ben’s Kettle Corn, and fresh Empire Cheese curd and bread in the Cheese Factory.
Admission to Applefest is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors 60 and older, $7 for youth aged five to 14, and free for children under five. Family admission is also available for $40 (for two adults and up to four youth ages five to 14). You can purchase tickets in advance from the museum’s online shop, but advance tickets are not required.
