Old Tyme Apple Festival coming up

<p>For the Democrat/Samantha Pogue</p><p>Guests browse through a variety of apples available during the Old Tyme Apple Festival in downtown Versailles 2016.</p>

For the Democrat/Samantha Pogue

Guests browse through a variety of apples available during the Old Tyme Apple Festival in downtown Versailles 2016.

Rural Missouri Magazine readers ranked the Versailles Olde Tyme Apple Festival the "Best Festival" in a 2017 contest, giving that same honor to the event in 2013.

With a parade, hundreds of food and craft vendors, artisan demonstrations, a car show, live music, pageants and apple pie baking contest and auction, the festival has become an family tradition for the 25,000 to 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 who 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 to all the way to Branson to see it."

That "olde tyme" feel will transform downtown Versailles primarily on Saturday, Oct. 7, when the majority of the activities are held. However, activities span from Thursday, Oct. 5 through Monday, Oct. 9 this year. One of those new activities that organizers are sure will draw lots of 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 Oct. 5-9 at Versailles City Park.

Built by Vietnam veterans and facilitated through Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd., The Moving Wall allows visitors to view the thousands of names of Vietnam soldiers who died during the battle, search and take rubbings of those names, and show appreciation for those who died for our country. 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, Oct. 5 through about noon Monday, Oct. 9.

"(Vietnam veterans) were overlooked. We want to showcase that these are our veterans and they are important. Let's show them some respect for keeping our freedoms ," Lake said. "You have 25,000 to 30,000 people here. What bigger stage to have this than at the Apple Festival."

Because of The Moving Wall's presence during this year's event, Lake and fellow Apple Festival organizers decided to have 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, which will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 7 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."

There are many other new aspects of the Apple Festival this year, including Fire Knife Grill, who will be hosting a Hawaiian luau complete with food, fire breathers and fire dancers. Lake said they have also brought back the Gospel stage Oct. 7, which will showcase a variety of groups including Sonshine Road. Other big entertainment includes Lake 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 and at Silver Dollar City.

On Fisher Street near this year's annual quilt show location, guests can experience another new event, RC car racing. Lake said 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 held in the evening Oct. 5-7 at the Morgan County Fairgrounds.

Throughout the day Saturday, visitors can also browse through a variety of food, craft and artisan vendors, with many performing demonstrations including a blacksmith, basket weavers and individuals making apple butter and apple cider.

Other festival activities taking place on Oct. 7 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 on Oct. 5. "Moses and the Burning Within," a new musical by William Gokelman and David Kauffman, spans the time between Moses' birth and crossing the Red Sea, from the book of Exodus. The musical will take the stage at 7 p.m. Oct. 5-7 and Oct. 12-14, and at 2 p.m. Oct. 8 and Oct. 15.

The community can enter a handful of annual contests during the Apple Festival, including the fiddlers contest held at 1 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Royal Theatre and the Apple Pie Baking Contest, in which entries are received from 5:30-7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Morgan County Courthouse with winners announced during the Apple Pie Auction between 7 a.m.-noon Oct. 7 on the main stage north of the courthouse.

Apple Festival royalty is crowned at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Sock Hop at Sonic Drive-In, with the Apple Festival King and Queen elected by Versailles Middle School students riding in the parade. Additional royalty, the Apple Dumplin' and Apple Darlin' will be announced during an event at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at First Baptist Church. The Baby Dumpling and Apple Tart for this year will also be announced at 6 p.m. on the same day and location, with the community being able to cast penny votes for their choice through midnight Oct. 5 at participating Versailles locations. Proceeds from that contest benefit the Morgan County Caring for Kids Coalition Christmas for Kids program.

Selling apples all day during the event, Lake has seen why families return to this time-honored community festival. He hopes it continues to grow and keeps its "Best Festival" title.

"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 about the Versailles Olde Tyme Apple Festival, call the chamber office at 573-378-4401 or visit versaillesapplefestival.com.