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The North Carolina Apple Festival, scheduled each year over the Labor Day weekend in downtown Hendersonville, will be held August 31 - September 3. This year's theme is "North Carolina Apples - Producing Champions." Numerous family-oriented events, from concerts to cooking contests to bike races - even a 10K foot race - will be held throughout the 4-day festival. The festival's official opening ceremony will be held Friday, August 31 at 10AM at Hendersonville's historic courthouse on the corner of Main Street and First Avenue. This event is sponsored by the NC Apple Festival, and, for more information, please call 828-697-4557. An Apple Recipe Contest and Auction will be held on Friday, August 31, from 8:30AM-2PM at First Citizens Bank Plaza, on the corner of Main Street and Sixth Avenue. This event is sponsored by the NC Cooperative Extension Service; please call 697-4891 for more information.
Many of downtown Hendersonville's merchants participate in the Apple Festival's Sidewalk Sale. Look for special sales and merchandise each day of the festival. If you'd like to get above it all for a bird's-eye-view of the festival and the surrounding area, you might want to check out the NC Air Museum Open House and Sightseeing Tours. They will be available all days during the festival; there is a fee for the sightseeing rides, but admission is free to the museum. Call the WNC Air Museum at 696-9151 for more information. For a real taste of what the Apple Festival has to offer, try meandering through the Street Fair area. The Apple Festival Street Fair will be open each day during the festival, from Sixth Avenue to Caswell Street, 10AM-8PM (Monday hours are 10AM-5PM, from Second Avenue to Caswell Street). The streets will be overflowing with arts and crafts booths, food vendors, local non-profits, and area apple growers. If putting on your finest and dancing until the wee hours is more to your liking, the Apple Ball is just the thing for you. This year's Apple Ball will be held Saturday, September 1, from 7-11PM at the Highland Lake Inn in Flat Rock. Tickets are $125 per couple, $60 for singles. For tickets or more information on the Apple Ball, please call 693-8504.
The Hendersonville Lion's Club is sponsoring its annual Big Apple Breakfast on Saturday, September 1, from 7-10AM. This huge full-course breakfast will be held at First Baptist Church's gymnasium; tickets are $5.00. Call 685-8276 (evenings only). Attention all you runners - the YMCA Apple Festival 10K Run will be held Saturday, September 1, at 8AM. Race day registration will begin at 7AM. The race fee is $15 for pre-registration, $20 on race day. The race will begin at Pro's Pizza on Spartanburg Highway. Call the Henderson County Family YMCA at 692-5774/ext. 15 for more information on the race. Stamp collectors will be pleased to know about the US Postal Service's Apple Festival Special Postal Cancellation Station. For one day only (Saturday, September 1, from 10AM-3PM), the Postal Service will offer its Apple Festival cancellation at their location at the corner of Barnwell and Main Streets. For more information, please call 692-2548. A family favorite will be back this year, the Apple Country Bike Tour. The tour will be held on Sunday, September 2, from 9AM-2PM; registration will be at 8:15AM. Participants should gather at the new Henderson County Courthouse, 200 North Grove Street. Fee is $20 for adults, $5 for children. Call 692-0385 for information or registration.
The festivities will conclude on Monday, September 3 (Labor Day) with the huge and popular Apple Festival Street Dance, from 8-10PM. The Street Dance will be held on Main Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues. The dance features square dancing, clogging and exhibition dancing. Bring your own lawn chairs. The Street Dance is the perfect end to a great festival weekend. Come on by for some good ol' mountain fun. Call the Greater Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce at 692-1412 for more information. For additional information about the North Carolina Apple Festival - schedule of additional events, parking information, ticket information, schedule of musical entertainment - please visit their web site at www.ncapplefestival.org.
(Photos provided by the North Carolina Apple Festival.)
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Take a close look at some of Henderson County's beautiful apple orchards on the Apple Orchard Tour on Friday, August 31, from 9AM-12:30PM. This is a "one time only" opportunity during the festival, and is sponsored by the NC Cooperative Extension Service. Tickets are $4 each, and the tour will leave from the Extension Service parking lot at 740 Glover Street; call 697-4891 for information or tickets. 
There will also be a street dance and concert featuring The Original Tams (pictured on the right) from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday in downtown Hendersonville on Main Street. The Original Tams will be singing some of the biggest hits including, "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy," "Hey Girl" and "What Kind of Fool," so you don't want to miss it.
The final day of the Apple Festival features the King Apple Parade, sponsored by MountainBank. The parade will begin at 2:30PM on Monday, September 3. The parade will follow a route from Five Points on Main Street to Caswell Street. This year's Grand Marshall is Grace Gaillard. Be sure to show up early on the parade route to see the antique airplane fly-over and the Children's Parade. Call 697-4557 for more information. 