Versailles Apple Festival canceled for 2020

Amid ongoing concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Versailles Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the annual Old Tyme Apple Festival has been canceled.

"This was not an easy decision to make, however we know that it is what's best for our community at this time," chamber Executive Director Dina Dunklee wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.

The event is planned to return in 2021.

For almost 40 years, the annual Olde Tyme Apple Festival in Versailles has drawn visitors to enjoy fun-filled activities and contests, delicious apple-inspired and old-fashioned food, and small-town atmosphere.

It has grown in popularity, attracting thousands of attendees from across the state and beyond. In 2013, the Olde Tyme Apple Festival was named "Best Festival" in Rural Missouri Magazine, the official publication of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.

Last week, the Eldon Area Chamber of Commerce announced it had canceled the Eldon Turkey Festival for 2020.