The Lafayette Apple Festival kicks off fall

As the sweet smell of apple cider and baked goods filled the air, Oriskany, New York resident Megan Szewczyk snacked on “apple nachos” with her mother. This unique snack contained apple slices, caramel sauce, peanut butter sauce, mini chocolate chips and Reese’s Pieces. 

This is one of the many delicious and unique foods offered at the annual Lafayette Apple Festival that took place this weekend, an event Szewczyk said her and her mother have been attending for several years. Christmas gifts, treats and apples are what she said she was there to look for. 

“We come every year just to check it out and see what’s around,” Szewczyk said. 

This year marked the 52nd annual Lafayette Apple Festival, located in Lafayette, New York. This family friendly event offered a variety of fun activities and delicious food for guests to enjoy. 

Apple donuts, homemade apple pies and apple crisp were only some of the many apple flavored delicacies offered along with the festival kicking off each morning with an apple pancake breakfast. Hot and cold apple cider as well as apple cider milkshakes were also sold as spectacular options to wash your treats down with. 

The festival included several organizations who offered treats and food, including the Lafayette Lancer Yearbook Club. Both plain and specialty caramel apples were sold at their booth with all proceeds going to funding the school’s yearbook. 

Photo by Madelyn Taylor

Vendors sell a range of items from apples to steak at the Lafayette Apple Festival.

Guests weren’t limited to only apple flavored food. Savory meals such as pulled pork sandwiches, walking tacos and chili were sold to satisfy a rumbling stomach. 

Along with the countless food options, guests were also able to enjoy the midway rides including a large ferris wheel and miniature roller coaster. Children of all ages screamed in joy on the fast paced rides and played games to try and win prizes. 

Pony rides, agricultural exhibits and live music were also scattered throughout the festival and brought smiles to faces. An apple pie baking contest also took place the Friday night before the festival kicked off. 

Inside the large tents that lined the festival grounds, hundreds of vendors set their booths up with handmade crafts that would cause anyone to stop and stare. 

Some booths offered adorable decorations for Halloween, such as decorated signs, wooden benches and painted pumpkins. Some booths had Christmas decorations with other booths offering handmade soaps, organic dog treats, toys and so much more. 

Photo by Madelyn Taylor

Tables with assorted Halloween and fall items line the Lafayette Apple Festival.

Donna Loveland of Hooked Together sat at her booth where she sold handmade crocheted plushies of different animals and famous characters. She said that this was her first time at the apple festival. 

“We have been very busy and people seem to like our stuff,” Loveland said. 

As Halloween approaches just around the corner, Loveland said that they brought a few themed plushies to the festival as well.

“I didn’t have a lot of Halloween stuff, so I sold it already,” she said. “Really just more of fall, we had a few ghosts.” 

People looked through her baskets of plushies, picking up colorful turtles, chubby cats and bats with pearly white fangs. 

With enough craft vendors, activities and treats to put anyone in the Halloween spirit, the Lafayette Apple Festival proved to be another success and sparked anticipation for another year of fall fun.