Apple is the word at Tri-State area festivals

October 19, 2006|by TIFFANY ARNOLD

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - If you're visiting the Eastern Panhandle this weekend, you had better have an affinity for apples.

The 27th annual Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival kicks off today, and the four-day festival isn't limited to one city. Activities are scheduled in Martinsburg, Kearneysville, Charles Town and Inwood starting today with orchard tours and educational talks in Kearneysville. The festival wraps up Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Berkeley County Youth Fair Grounds in Martinsburg.

Friday and Saturday's activities include baking and pie contests, an apple art contest, an apple growers contest, an apple variety identification contest, and an "Apple Trample" 5-kilometer run.

Brittany Gawronski, 15, of Falling Waters, W.Va., plans to enter her Mile High Apple Pie, a recipe she makes from scratch, into Friday's pie contest.

"I love baking," said Gawronski, an 11th-grader at Hedgesville High School. "When I was little and I was bored, I would pull out my little recipes and play around in the flour. Now, I have my own recipes."

Apples aren't the only thing on the jam-packed schedule of events. Soap-star Natalia Livingston, who plays Emily Quartermaine on ABC's "General Hospital," and former Washington Redskins player Brian Mitchell will make appearances.

Other activities include fireworks, a parade and the coronation of the festival's queen.

If you go ...

WHAT: 27th annual Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival

WHEN: Today through Sunday, Oct. 22.

WHERE: Activities are scheduled in Martinsburg, Kearneysville, Charles Town and Inwood in West Virginia, though the majority of Saturday and Sunday's events will take place at the Berkeley County Youth Fair Grounds, 2419 Country Club Road, Martinsburg. Go to www.msahf.com for more details.

COST: Free admission to most events. Advanced tickets required for the Queen's Reception ($7), 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20; Sports Breakfast ($12), 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21; and the Grand Ball ($30), 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday.

MORE: The full schedule is available at www.msahf.com. Call 304-263-2500 for more information.

|

|

|