Annual AppleFest in Cooperstown, NY on Sept 15-16, 2012

The Cooperstown Rotary Club’s 16th Annual AppleFest will be held this weekend, September 15 and 16 at the Fly Creek CiderMill & Orchard just minutes from Cooperstown. 

This popular annual festivalattracts apple and fun lovers to celebrate the harvest with live musicalperformances, antique tractors, fresh apple tasting, children’s games andactivities, and freshly pressed cider.  
 
The Festival’s traditional program includes scarecrow making, antique tractors, pumpkin and face painting, games and bouncy houses.  New this year to the Kids Corner is a dime toss.  A small town carnival favorite, the dime toss is sure to be a new favorite at AppleFest, bring your piggy bank full of dimes for your shot at some great prizes. As part of Cooperstown Rotary Club's literacy drive, all children visiting the Storytelling Tent will receive a free book.  Creative cooks are encouraged to enter the apple baking contest for prize ribbons awarded to the Yummiest, Most Visually “Apple-ing” and Best Use of the Apple (most original.)  The popular raffle and silent auction of items donated by local businesses will be held under the Rotary tent along with a coloring contest for coloring contest for grades PK – 4.
 
Musical performances, a highlight of AppleFest, include theCooperstown Jazz Band, Bourbon & Branch, The Milkweeds, Red, White & Bluegrass, Stoddard Hollow String Band, and the Mountebank Brothers.   
 
"Attending AppleFest is agreat way to have fun and support the work of Rotary," says Angie Erway, chairperson of this event.  "AppleFest is our club's biggest fundraiser and last year we raised over $20,000, the most ever, all of which is distributed back into the community" added Erway.  
 
The Festival is held on the grounds of the Fly Creek CiderMill & Orchard, a water-powered cider mill where visitors can witness old time cider-making using an 1889 Boomer & Boschert press.  New York-grown apple varieties now available for tasting include McIntosh, Gala, Ginger Gold,Cortland, Macoun, Fuji and Empire.  Another feature of the weekend is a focused tasting of Apple
Salsas plus more than 40 samples of specialty foods, many of which are Pride of New York Products.
 
AppleFest runs 10:00 until 5:00 on Saturday and noon until 5:00 on  Sunday.  Admission to Rotary’s Festival is $4.00 per person, children under 12 are free.   Parking is also free.  The Fly Creek Cider Mill& Orchard, located at 288 Goose Street in Fly Creek, NY, is just 3-milesfrom Cooperstown and 24-miles south of Herkimer.  For more AppleFest information, music schedule, baking contest entrance form and  information on the Mill visit their website at www.flycreekcidermill.com.

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