52nd annual Apple Festival wraps this weekend
The 52nd annual Georgia Apple Festival enjoyed a big opening weekend and was, for the most part, unhampered by some intermittent rain early Saturday and on Sunday.
“Generally speaking, (we had two) good days. The weather was great Saturday, but not so good on Sunday,” said Natalie Knight, event manager for the Gilmer Chamber. “On Saturday, the rain came early in the day, so by the time we got going, there really wasn’t anything.”
At last count, the festival drew about 30,000 to the Lions Club Fairgrounds over the weekend, confirmed the Gilmer Chamber.
“It’s a good number. We had about 300 vendors there and a good turnout. The additional vendors make it a big draw and there were also more food trucks (there this year),” Knight said. “The line before the gates opened was out to the road. A line that long (is somewhat unusual). We usually have some people lined up before we open, but not like that.”
Several of the festival’s sister events, including the Apple Festival Parade, Apple Arts on the Square, the Apple Classic Car Show and the Apple Festival 5K/Road Race also unfolded around Gilmer County Saturday and Sunday.
Ellijay Police Chief Edward Lacey noted that the first festival weekend was fairly uneventful as far as traffic issues in the city were concerned with traffic flowing relatively smoothly, except for a wreck at Old Highway 5 North and Highway 515.
“On Saturday, we experienced a three car motor vehicle crash with injuries. Southbound traffic on 515 was temporarily rerouted toward downtown. It took 30 minutes to clear the intersection and restore traffic flow,” he added. “Sunday’s traffic was fairly light in Ellijay and amounted to what’s become a typical fall day-type traffic.”
On its second weekend, the Apple Festival will run from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21-22, while Apple Arts will be held around the downtown square from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. the same days.
“We will have live music on Saturday and Sunday, and we’ve upgraded the speakers so the sound system is bigger and better,” said Knight.
Except for Apple Arts, there are no sister events planned for the closing festival weekend, but, if the weather holds out, that likely won’t make too much of a dent in the traffic. Parking spaces on the downtown roundabout will remain blocked this weekend to improve the flow of both vehicle and foot traffic, Lacey confirmed.
“For several years now we’ve barricaded the parking spots around the roundabout, which has had a very positive effect on traffic flow,” he added. “By not having vehicles backing out, we’re able to keep oncoming traffic flowing more smoothly. By narrowing the south side of the roundabout, we have a greater ability to manage pedestrians and prevent vehicles from stopping in the roundabout to drop off and pick up passengers. This has been very successful, and we receive many positive comments and feedback from both festivalgoers and local businesses.”
Knight said up to 12 shuttle buses ran from downtown Ellijay to the fairgrounds last weekend and will continue to do so this weekend.
“Parking at the Lions Club filled up pretty quickly, but the buses were running a lot, and we tried to keep them moving,” she added.