Rural Missouri Magazine readers ranked the Versailles Olde Tyme Apple Festival the "Best Festival" in a 2017 contest, the same honor to the event received in 2013.
With a parade, hundreds of food and craft vendors, artisan demonstrations, a car show, live music, pageants and apple pie-baking contest, the festival has become a family tradition for 25,000-30,000 visitors each year.
It has for Brice Lake, who grew up around the festival, regularly participated in it and has served as Apple Festival chairman for the last three years.
"We have our popular activities that everyone loves, and we try to bring in new stuff each year, like demonstrators, continually adding things that people can interact with," said Lake, vice president of the Versailles Area Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the event. "It has that old-time feel to it. My goal is to get (the Apple Festival) to be like a Silver Dollar City experience, but you don't have to go all the way to Branson to see it."
That "olde tyme" feel will transform downtown Versailles primarily on Saturday, when the majority of activities are scheduled. However, activities span Thursday through Monday this year. One of those new activities organizers are sure will draw visitors is The Moving Wall, a nationally touring half-replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C, which will be open to the public for free Thursday through Monday at Versailles City Park.
The Moving Wall allows visitors to view the thousands of names of Vietnam soldiers who died in the battle. After an opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m., the public can view the Moving Wall 24 hours a day from 3 p.m. Thursday through about noon Monday.
Because of The Moving Wall's presence during this year's event, organizers decided on a patriotic theme. This year's grand marshal is Tommy Capps, an area Vietnam veteran, and a variety of local veterans will participate in the Apple Festival parade, scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday in downtown Versailles.
"We are planning for each trailer to have veterans from each branch of the military," Lake said. "We will also have the color guard and the Fort Leonard Wood marching band will also be a part of this year's parade."
Other new aspects of the Apple Festival include Fire Knife Gril hosting a Hawaiian luau. Lake said they also have brought back the Gospel stage (Saturday). Other entertainment includes Lake of the Ozarks area favorites Melanie and Mitch and the Finley River Brothers, bluegrass and old-time country sensations who tour the festival circuit and perform frequently in Branson.
On Fisher Street, guests can experience another new event - RC car racing. For $5, visitors can race a car around the pit.
Rides and games will be open during the carnival, another new activity that will be in the evening Thursday through Saturday at the Morgan County Fairgrounds.
Other activities Saturday include the annual car show, pancake breakfast, compact figure 8 race and powder puff scramble, and tractor and engine display. The annual Apple Festival Musical at the historic Royal Theatre will help officially start the festival Thursday. "Moses and the Burning Within," a new musical by William Gokelman and David Kauffman, will take the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Oct. 12-14 and at 2 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 15.
The community can enter a handful of contests, including the fiddlers' contest and the apple pie-baking contest.
"I hear people come up and say, 'It's even better than last year,'" Lake said. "I'm glad to see these people, who are enjoying it every year. We all work so hard to make it a great festival."
For more information, call the chamber office at 573-378-4401 or visit versaillesapplefestival.com.