Prairie Grove, AR-2020

Annual Happenings Join The Fun

apples with them to England when they conquered the country. Apple growing became common in England and other parts of Europe. Both seeds of apples and the trees were brought to America from England probably in 1629. John Endicott, one of the early governors of Massachusetts Bay Colony, is said to have brought the first trees to America. The cultivated varieties gradually spread westward from the Atlantic Coast with the help of legendary figures such as Johnny Appleseed. Visitors can taste a variety of sliced apples, caramel apples, and delicious apple dump- lings – with ice cream of course! The festival has also grown to include a number of craft booths on the Downtown Square as well as carnival rides for children. The craft’s fair, held on the downtown Lincoln Square, has everything from woven rugs, pottery, soaps and jewelry to pepper jams and dips. Free parking areas are available within easy walking distance of the Apple Festival, freeing the Lincoln Square for pedestrian only traffic on both Saturday and Sunday. A special parking area is set aside on the west side of the square for the physically challenged. And if you get hungry, we also host concessions and old-fashioned confections from across the country to tempt your taste buds. There’s always a variety for everyone’s musical enjoyment, including square dancing, clogging, and country music on Saturday. This contest has drawn national attention. For more information, call the Apple

Cane Hill Harvest Festival The Cane Hill Festival held in mid-September each year continues to draw crowds that enjoy a glance back in history. The festival, which began as a means to support and maintain the Cane Hill College building and campus, has grown to

two days of enjoyment for young and old in the West Washington County area. The Cane Hill Harvest Festival, produced by volunteers in the community and those who were one-time students in the Cane Hill public school, draws a picture of life in the 1800s when everything was produced at home by family members. Soap was made by the women of the household from lye, lard and water. Even the lye had to be home produced. Long hours of stirring with a wooden paddle finally produced soap for the family. Apple butter was a delicacy that also required long hours of slow cooking. But probably the most labor intensive was the production of sorghum molasses. All three processes will be on demonstration during the two-day festival. The products will be for sale in the country store in the college building. Also for sale will be post cards and Cane Hill History Booklets. The two-day trip into history is fun for those taking part in the demonstrations but it is also a sobering thought to realize that in the 1800s it was a deadly serious business for a family to produce the necessities of life. Keeping with the spirit of the era, the participants will all wear period dress. The Cane Hill Museum, on the second floor of the college building, will be open both days. It features a good deal of memorabilia including clothing and documents dating from 1828.

Lincoln Apple Festival The City of Lincoln is approximately six miles west of Prairie Grove on U.S. 62. Parades, carnivals, arts and crafts, beauty pageants, food and apples – every kind of apple – are what visitors will encounter the first weekend of October each year in Lincoln. The town, 18 miles west of Fayetteville on U.S. Hwy 62, has played host to the popular event ever since 1976. Begun as a celebration of the American Bicentennial, the festival has grown every year. The festival is first and foremost a celebration of the apple and its impact on the region. Apple trees were grown and prized for their fruit by the people of ancient Rome. It is believed that the Romans took cultivated

Festival office in Lincoln at (479) 824-FEST or e-mail araplfest@aol.com .

• hometown magazine •

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