Apple

The 33rd Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival parade on Saturday is expected to effectively detour traffic in downtown Martinsburg for more than three hours, according to organizers and police. Vehicle traffic will be prohibited from traveling on the parade route and the course for Apple Trample 5K race beginning about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, police said. The parade, which starts in the 1300 block of West King Street, is slated to start at 1 p.m. With 196 parade units registered, Apple Harvest Festival board member Kevin McBee said this week he expects the procession could last three to four hours from start to finish.

If it weren't for a Whammy, "General Hospital" star Scott Reeves' life might have taken a different route. Reeves is best known for roles as Steven Webber on "GH" as well as Ryan McNeil on "The Young and the Restless. " But his first TV appearance was in 1984 when he was on the game show "Press Your Luck. " He was 18. "I racked up 10 grand, then got a Whammy," he said during a telephone interview from his home outside of Nashville, Tenn. "To me, that was like a million bucks. Then it all crumbled.

No one had to twist Kristen Fischer's arm to stand over a tray of fresh-baked apple dumplings, breathing in the aroma of apples and cinnamon, as she served hungry customers at Saturday's Apple Festival at the Tayamentasachta Center for Environmental Studies. The Greencastle-Antrim High School junior has been helping with the apple dumplings since she was 7 years old and could help roll out a piece of dough. While there were plenty of other activities at the Apple Festival, she didn't plan on moving from her post because in her mind, she had the best job at the festival.

Celebrating together is a tradition for many families that attended Saturday's 39th annual Apple Butter Festival. Kathryn Eppinger, who has lived in Berkeley Springs for 81 years, said she attends the festival every year with her family. Eppinger was at the festival with her daughter, Carol Suker, a Berkeley Springs High School graduate who lives in Maryland “We always watch the parade, listen to the music, look at the crafts, visit with friends and eat festival food,” Suker said.

Bill Gardenhour has been growing apples all his life and said he has never seen a growing season as good as this one. The ironic thing is, it looked like it was going to be the opposite, he said last week. The warm weather in March caused apple tree buds to mature early, which can be a nerve-racking situation for growers because the tender growth is then susceptible to frost damage. There were a couple of nights in April when the temperature dropped to about 25 degrees, and Gardenhour said there was significant damage to his crop.

Bees swarmed the antique wooden cider press. “Don't worry,” Walter Dyer told onlookers. “I've been doing this 20 years and I've never been stung.” He continued about his work, smiling pleasantly while he explained “making cider the old-fashioned way” Saturday at Hancock Canal Apple Days at Widmeyer Park. “You put the apples in one end, grind 'em up and put 'em under the press. Cider comes out here and you put it in a jug,” he said. “As fast as we can make it, we sell it.” Event chairman Larry Gerber Sr. said the Hancock Lions Club hosts the event to honor the town's history with the C&O Canal and apple orchards.

Cute babies, barbecue chicken and good music - Hancock's Canal Apple Days has a little something for everyone. The Hancock Lions Club will host the event from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30, at Widmeyer Park on West High Street. Canal Apple Days starts with a parade at 11 a.m. Saturday on Main Street and wraps up with a performance by Falling Waters, W.Va., band Lost in the Fifties. Craft vendors will be set up all weekend to show off their products. "It's something that we do as the Hancock Lions Club to not only promote the community of Hancock, but at the same time give vendors a chance to show their wares and bring their product to the forefront," said Larry Gerber Sr., an organizer.

If you believe chocolate is to die for, then Death by Chocolate is for you. The annual fundraiser for the Franklin County Historical Society will return to the east yard of the Old Jail, 175 E. King St., from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 20. For the first time, it will be held on AppleFest Saturday, when the main streets of downtown Chambersburg will be lined with food and craft vendors. Tastings at the Old Jail will be paired with ice cream, dessert, specialty teas and other culinary delights.

Candy apple fundraiser to benefit WHS choral dept. The Williamsport High School Choral Department will hold a fundraiser for selling candy apples beginning Monday, Oct. 1, and running through Oct. 14. Apple selections include red candy and red candy with nuts, caramel and caramel with nuts, caramel with toffee bits, caramel dipped in chocolate and dribbled in white and milk chocolate, and pumpkin apple spice. To order, call Wendy Loveless at 240-527-9256 or send an email to wlbaskets@myactv.net.

Hancock's Canal-Apple Days Festival is once again on the horizon, and the Hancock Lions Club, the sponsoring group, is seeking vendors and parade entries. This popular annual event starts with a grand parade, east to west along Main Street, concluding at Widmeyer Park. The award-winning Hancock High School Panthers Marching Band leads the way, followed by color guards, floats, marching units, other bands, fire and rescue equipment and, in this election year, politicians.  Many entries are eligible to compete for more than $2,000 in prizes.