Several sister events also scheduled
Fall is in the air and the leaves are starting to turn, which means thousands will soon converge on Ellijay for the Georgia Apple Festival.
The 52nd annual festival and its various sister events will commence over the weekends of Oct. 14-15 and 21-22.
The Apple Festival will run from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds. Admission is $10 for adults, while children 12 and under will be admitted free.
Natalie Knight, event manager for the Gilmer Chamber, said more vendors than before are expected for the festival presented by the chamber and Lions Club.
“We had to change the layout up a little bit this year, which allowed us to add more vendors (including) more food vendors. It should help the flow of festivalgoer traffic a bit more,” Knight said.
Festival organizers are trying to make the event, long known for its variety of arts/crafts and food vendors, more of “an experience,” along with an opportunity to shop for handmade goods offered by vendors, Knight noted.
“You’ll see some new stuff,” she added. “We’re going to have live music again, and there will be a few more activities for kids and adults because we’re trying to make it more interactive.”
Also on tap are the Apple Festival’s sister events, including Apple Arts on the Square, the Apple Festival Parade through downtown Ellijay, the Apple Country Classic Auto Club’s car show and the Apple Festival 5K and Road Race.
This year, the parade, car show and 5K/road race will all be held on the first Saturday of the festival (Oct. 14), Knight said. The parade was previously held the second Saturday of the festival.
“It will be a big kickoff for this Apple Festival,” Knight said.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m., heading up River Street and through the downtown roundabout. Check-in for parade participants will start at 8:30 a.m. on Sailors Drive. The application deadline for the Fall Harvest-themed parade is Oct. 12.
The Apple Classic Car Show will be held at Victory Christian Center, from 8 a.m-3 p.m. Awards will be presented beginning at 3 p.m. Proceeds from the car show will benefit the club’s yearly charitable donations, which benefit such causes as the Gilmer Community Food Pantry and several others.
The 47th annual 5K and road race will kick off the first festival Saturday. The 5K will start at 8 a.m. and the 1-mile road race at 8:45 a.m. Registration will start at 7 a.m. at the Ellijay Elementary School Gym.
Apple Arts, a smaller event with an array of arts/crafts and food vendors, will also presented by the chamber near the downtown Ellijay square along Broad Street and Sand Street. Apple Arts will run the same two weekends as the Apple Festival, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. all days.
“It’s free admission, as well as family and pet friendly,” said Ron Cheslock, Gilmer Chamber tourism director.
As in past years, Apple Festival parking will be directed by local Boy Scout personnel. Donations for parking will benefit the Scouts, noted Knight.
Shuttle buses will be running back and forth from the fairgrounds on South Main Street to local schools, including Ellijay Elementary and Gilmer High School, where additional parking can be found. The buses will also be picking up Apple Arts festivalgoers, Knight said.
“You can come to the Apple Festival and get on a bus. It will take you downtown and between the two festivals,” she added.