LINCOLN — Fall brings to mind apples and apples bring to mind the Arkansas Apple Festival on Lincoln Square.
This year’s festival will be the 46th celebration since the first one held in 1976.
Mayor Doug Hutchens said the Apple Festival is Lincoln’s “signature event” and he’s glad to see it back up to 100% this year.
“We’re back up running,” Hutchens said last week.
Along with the three-day festival, the Apple Festival Pageant returned as part of the festivities this year. The pageant was held Sept. 24 at Lincoln Middle School.
The annual parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, will start at the middle school and go around Lincoln Square. In the past, someone has announced parade entries but this year there will not be an announcer.
Crowds showed up for the 44th Arkansas Apple Festival in 2019. The 2020 event was canceled because of the covid pandemic, one of many annual events in Northwest Arkansas canceled because of covid concerns and covid restrictions.
However, the Apple Festival returned in 2021 with many people coming to Lincoln to enjoy the fall weekend featuring the festival parade, arts and crafts vendors, food concessions and the popular apple core throwing contest.
The 2022 Apple Festival opens at 8 a.m. Friday for craft and food vendors and continues throughout the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Vendors will close for this year’s festival at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Rhonda Hulse, who chairs the Apple Festival Committee, said more than 80 vendors have registered to participate in the 2022 Apple Festival, with many of these taking up more than one booth space. That’s a little more than last year but not as many as the number of vendors that participated prior to the covid pandemic, Hulse said.
“We’re pretty full,” Hulse said.
Visitors will have many choices from the food concessions. These items will include funnel cakes, corn dogs, nachos, chicken strips, smoked turkey legs, tacos, ice cream, fresh pork rinds and pulled pork sandwiches.
Lincoln Kiwanis Club will have its traditional food concessions in the community building Friday through Sunday. The Kiwanis will offer beans and cornbread, chili and apple dumplings/vanilla ice cream. Proceeds help with college scholarships.
The city sponsors the most popular spot at the Arkansas Apple Festival each year, freshly sliced apples handed out free by volunteers for visitors to enjoy. Another tent provides free samples of apple cider, along with cider that can be purchased.
Hulse said the festival usually gives away 100 bushels of apple slices during the three days and sells about 500-600 gallons of apple cider. The Lincoln Masonic Lodge will have its regular tent set up to sell bags of fresh apples to patrons.
Hulse, who has chaired the festival committee in a volunteer capacity since 2007, said this will probably be her last year as the chairwoman for the event. She said she will continue to help each year along with other city employees but believes it is time to hand over the baton to a new person.
“I’m basically putting on the whole festival,” Hulse said. “Yes, I’ve had helpers but I’ve got to where I’ve been doing everything to get it together. “
She said the focus after this year’s festival will be to look for someone to take it over for the future.
Hulse said she has enjoyed working with the Apple Festival and her favorite part has been working with the vendors and helping them as much as possible.
Add shirttail to story: Lynn Kutter can be reached by email at [email protected] .
Apple Festival Committee
Rhonda Hulse, co-chair Tracy Irwin, co-chair Russ and Rainy Laycox Ronnie Rinehart Dianna Payne Doug Moore
Apple Festival schedule
Friday
9 a.m. — 5 p.m., Arts and Crafts, Food Vendors
Saturday
9 a.m. — 5 p.m., Arts and Crafts, Food Vendors 10 a.m., Apple Festival Parade
Noon, Apple Core Throwing Contest 1 p.m. , Apple Pie Eating Contest
Sunday
9 a.m. — 5 p.m., Arts and Crafts, Food Vendors
Apple Festival country breakfast
Lincoln Senior Center, 116 E. Park St., will have an all-you-can-eat country breakfast each morning during the Arkansas Apple Festival. It will be held 7- 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Cost is $7. Proceeds benefit the senior center. The menu will include scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy and pancakes.
Sponsors for the breakfast are Hiland Dairy, Sonic in Prairie Grove, Tyson Foods, Springfield Grocer and Rock Hill Foods.
