For more than 25 years the last Saturday of the month of September has seen Wellesley Apple Butter & Cheese Festival spill into the streets of the village, and this year will be no different.
Rain or shine the annual festival will take place Sept. 24, starting with the traditional pancake and sausage breakfast followed by activities for the whole family, including a horseshoe tournament, quilt auction, antique car and tractor show and the noon parade with the newly-crowned Wellesley Fall Fair ambassador in attendance.
For children the festival provides a model boat regatta, pony and stage coach rides, puppet show, a mini-tractor pull and children’s entertainer Erick Traplin will be taking to the main stage at 9:30 a.m.
The festival was formed to promote the Village of Wellesley as well as its major businesses, the J.M.
Schneider Cheese Factory and Wellesley Brand Apple Products. With the help of local service clubs, organizations and churches, several booths will be operated on the street mall with all profits going to the festival committee.
“It’s the same festival we had last year,” said Julie Robinson, one of the organizers of the event. “We have a lot of attractions to enjoy at the festival and a lot of people in town start their Christmas shopping that weekend because there are so many wonderful things to purchase at the street mall.”
The main stage will see local entertainers Kyle Geraughty, Honky Tonk Piano, clog and line dancing and the three finalists of the Wellesley Idol: Ali Carroll, 15, Greg Rola, 15 and his sister Amy, 14, will perform at 2 p.m. This year new to the line up will be local performers Byron Jay and Jonathan Sauder.
Other attractions at the festival will include a smorgasbord dinner of roast pork, pigtails and roast beef starting at 10:30 a.m. At the market artists will be holding demonstrations and selling their works of handmade arts and crafts.
As always homemade apple fritters and fresh apple butter and cider from the local mill will be available for those that stroll through the street mall or decide to take a tour of the cider mill.
Free tours of a goat farm, dairy and horse farm will also take place at neighbouring farms in the area.
The five kilometer run or walk which is entering its third year will start at Wellesley Public School at 10 a.m.
Admission to the festival is free, as is the parking.
