by Maggie Fitzgibbon
on behalf of the Hilton Apple Fest
Save the date for the 2024 Hilton Apple Fest. Year after year, this fall event marks the harvest season with a bountiful celebration of apples. This popular weekend festival is set for Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, October 6, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Village of Hilton on the grounds of the Community Center. This free weekend event is sure to please folks of all ages.
Visit the Hilton Apple Fest (HAF) and you’ll find a range of over 100 artists who will showcase their best work. You’ll also find non-profit community organizations, commercial vendors, and over 21 community food groups. The popularity of the HAF speaks for itself; it draws nearly 70,000 people over the two-day weekend. This popularity is what attracts artists and food groups/vendors. The food groups are made up of community organizations that sell a variety of food items including sandwiches, snacks, drinks, and of course, all things apple.
Take a walk through the food vendors area at the HAF and you’ll find almost any menu item you could ever crave. Purchase from any of these non-profit food vendors and you’ll help fund these organizations’ local community efforts. St. George’s Episcopal Church will sell apple sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions. Jaymee Turner is one of the St. George’s Episcopal Church food booth organizers. She explained why the group chose to sell this menu item.
“We’ve been selling the apple sausage for a very long time. Each year, we order 1,000 to 1,300 and we sell out every year. The apple sausage is specially made for us by Swan Market in Rochester,” Turner explained. “Swan Market only makes this sausage for us to sell at the Apple Fest.”
The proceeds from the St. George’s Episcopal Church support the everyday functions of the church. Like all the food groups, the funds are going back into the community, Turner said.
“It’s a long weekend, but so worth the work. All the food groups work together to help each other. It’s a cool thing to be a part of,” Turner said.
The HAF Auto Show is set for Saturday, October 5, at Village Elementary School located in the Village of Hilton. Registration is from 8 a.m. until noon and the awards ceremony is at 4 p.m. This year’s show will highlight the 60th anniversary of the Mustang. Three special awards will be presented for Club Participation, Best Overall Car of Show, and Best Mustang. Entrants can pre-register by visiting http://www.hiltonapplefestautoshow.org.
As expected, apples will be aplenty at the Hilton Apple Fest. Local apple growers will have their farm apple harvest, including bakery delights. The line tends to be long for these popular items, so don’t wait to queue up for these extra special treats. Looking for unique food items? Stop at the Farmer’s Market where you will find raw honey, beef jerky, homemade jams and jellies, and more.
As one can guess, it truly takes a village to make the Hilton Apple Fest happen. Matt Ulakovic, Hilton Apple Fest Board member, noted how many people volunteer at the Apple Fest.
“Our closest estimation is about 300 volunteers who help with many different tasks just to make the festival happen. They serve in our Apple Fest fundraiser booths, Corey’s Apple Pond, the info booth, with set up and take down, keeping the festival clean and beautiful, and so much more,” he said.
The entertainment planned for this year’s HAF is a mix of local and regional musicians at four stages/areas. Watch dance students from LaDanse Workshop on Sunday, October 6, at 1 p.m. on the Blacktop stage. 47 South will perform two sets on Sunday on the Main Stage starting at 10 a.m. A full entertainment schedule can be found in this HAF special section.
Kids are encouraged to bring their parents and visit the Apple Fest Kids Korner, a place at the festival with activities and entertainment geared for children of all ages. And a tour of the Apple Fest would not be complete without a stop at Corey’s Apple Pond, where kids can fish for an apple and a prize. The Kids’ Korner area features a book giveaway and craft hosted by the Parma Public Library, digging for dinosaurs by the Parma Christian Church, and pony rides by Jade Cook. For a complete list of entertainment and activities, check out the listing in this HAF special section.
Parking for the HAF can be a challenge in and around the Hilton Community Center. To keep traffic moving, festival-goers are encouraged to park at Hilton High School on East Avenue. Shuttle buses will run throughout the weekend from Hilton High School.
Don’t forget to stop inside the Hilton Community Center. That’s where a collector’s sale, an apple pie contest, photo contest, the Hilton Village Historian, and a senior lounge can be found. Peruse a wide selection of memorabilia, sports cards, toys and more. The Apple Pie Contest will be judged early Saturday morning and it has two divisions – youth and adult. Pre-registration is preferred, so if you are interested in entering your apple pie culinary creation, visit hiltonapplefest.org for information. This year’s Photo Contest has the theme of “Here Comes the Sun,” and features pictures of the sun. Awards will be presented on Saturday, October 5, at 4 p.m. on the Apple Fest Main Stage. Wegmans Pharmacy will offer flu shots in the Senior Lounge on Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A craft raffle and a Visa gift card raffle will be held during the festival weekend. The craft raffle winners will be drawn at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 6. The Visa Gift Card raffle will be drawn on December 2, 2024. The proceeds from these raffles support the Hilton Food Shelf and scholarships for graduating Hilton High School seniors. Official Apple Fest merchandise will be sold at the Apple Fest Merch Tent.
This merchandise is unique in that each year a new logo is selected. A logo contest was held earlier in the year and a panel of community members, along with the previous year’s winner, judged the contest.
Ulakovic shared how the Apple Fest is important to the Village of Hilton.
“The best part is the meaningful impact we all create by coming together as a community at the Apple Fest, from supporting local organizations like the Hilton Food Shelf and Hilton-Parma Community Council of Churches to our Apple Growers, who tirelessly carry on the heritage and tradition of our agricultural roots,” Ulakovic said. “It truly is a beautiful thing to see the joy everyone shares on Apple Fest weekend.”
Hilton Apple Fest awards scholarships to two Hilton HS grads
The Hilton Apple Fest awarded two 2024 Hilton High School graduates with scholarships in recognition of their volunteer service throughout our community.
Aiden Hryhorenko and David Padoleski each received a $500 Hilton Apple Fest scholarship this past spring and are now off to college studying Physical Education and Mechanical Engineering, respectively.
Festivalgoers can support next year’s scholarship recipients by entering the $500 Visa Gift Card sweepstakes located at the Craft Raffle tent. The drawing will be held on December 2.
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