This weekend, Oct. 1 and 2, the 27th annual Unicoi County Apple Festival will take place in downtown Erwin.
Held every year at the onset of fall, the Apple Festival brings unique crafts, great food, plenty of culture and, of course, lots of apples.
Tourists flock from all over the nation to take part of one of the best attractions the South has to offer. The festival has been acknowledged as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast for the month of October by the Southern Tourism Society.
Vendors fill out applications months in advance to secure one of the 300 plots that line the streets of downtown Erwin. Booths range from quilts to candles, woodworking to jewelry and even face-painting for the kids. And what festival would be complete without food – especially those carb-filled funnel cakes? You can also fill your tummy with hamburgers, ribs, pork rindes and caramel apples, just to name a few.
The Apple Festival also has plenty of music to entertain the tourists and town folk as they browse through the many booths.
This year, Stage 1 will be devoted to gospel music with groups like The Landmarks, Dixie Melody Boys and HisSong. Stage 2, sponsored by Culligan, will feature mostly bluegrass, line-dancing and performances from the local dance school, Range School of Dance.
The preparations that take place within the small town nestled at the foothills of the Appalachians have the local community in a buzz weeks before the festival begins. Unicoi and Erwin generate thousands upon thousands of dollars from the Apple Festival.
“We go through a lot of planning,” says Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce tourism director Chris Peterson. “This year we expect a record attendance because of the opening of I-26.”
Last year, 90,000 people came to the Apple Festival.
In the heart of downtown, Sonic, a fast-food chain, usually transforms its parking lot reserved for drive-up food service to picnic tables for the luxury of the many fest-goers.
Businesses all over town stock extra in order to accommodate the needs of the many visitors. Some residents also add a little bit of money to their pockets because many of those who live in the downtown area open their yards and driveways to tourists for parking spaces.
Of course, the apples are the main focus of the festival. Unicoi County has 10 apple orchards in its region that are all located in the mountains close to the North Carolina line.
Briggs Orchard located on Coffee Ridge is the oldest working apple orchard in the county. It has been in operation for more than 50 years.
Apple butter is a tradition at the festival. The Senior Citizen Center, the Ruritan Club and the Rotary Club carry on that old-timey way by gathering around their big, black cauldrons and stirring up some of the finest apple butter ever to be put on biscuits. Apple butter can be bought in bulk or by single Mason jar.
The whole process is done right before your very eyes there on the street. It may be the only time in your life you can actually use the phrase “How ya like them apples?” literally.
There are also numerous activities that go on during the Apple Festival. There’s a Blue Ridge Pottery show and sale, a road race sponsored by Nuclear Fuels Services, a tennis tournament and, sure enough, an apple pie cooking contest.
As if cultural pride and tradition wasn’t enough to entice you to visit the festival, this year Erwin Motors is holding a drawing for a brand-new Ford truck loaded with apples.
The Apple Festival will be bushels of fun and a great way to get your fill of Appalachian culture. You could go home with your arms full of beautiful antiques, quilts, handmade crafts or maybe a jar of apple butter or two.
Festival hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information contact the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce web site at www.unicoicounty.org/apple_festival.html.
It’s easy to make a trip to downtown Erwin for the Apple Festival and it is only a 15-minute drive from campus. I-26 East toward Asheville for about 15 miles.
You will exit the highway on the Main Street Erwin exit 18 and take a left at the end of the ramp. You will come to a red light with a Wendy’s in front of you and an Exxon on your right. Turn right.
Then follow the signs that guide you to the Apple Festival or parking.

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