Jackson County Apple Festival

The Jackson County Apple Festival is an annual festival dedicated to the apple held in Jackson, Ohio, United States. The festival was created to promote Jackson County's leading agricultural product, which at the time was grown by over forty farms in the area.

Dates

The Apple Festival is held on the 3rd weekend in September. The festival starts at noon on Tuesday and ends on Saturday night.

Locations

Starting on the Saturday before the festival, downtown streets (Broadway St. between Water St. and Walnut St.; Main St. between Columbia St. and Portsmouth St.; and Pearl St. between Church St. and Portsmouth St.) are closed in Jackson. They are reopened by 5:00 pm on Sunday.

History

In the spring of 1937, a group of members from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce decided to create a festival that would help promote the county's leading industry.

The Apple Festival has been held annually since 1937. The Apple Festival was silenced from 1942-1945 years during World War II.

Traditions

The Friday night home high-school football game against Jackson's county rival, Wellston, is dubbed "The Apple Bowl."

Several parades are held during the festival. A school parade is held on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday evening is the Opening Parade. Thursday at noon is the Pre-School Parade.

The Saturday night "Grande Finale" Parade is the festival's biggest event with over 70,000 people attending, and has a claim as "the largest lighted parade in Ohio." The parade annually includes local dignitaries and politicians, neighboring festival royalty, and invited high school marching bands from across southern and southeastern Ohio and northern West Virginia; as well as "floats" from each of the elementary schools in and around Jackson, which depict the annual theme of the festival. The Budweiser Clydesdale Horses have been a part of this parade two times during the 1990s. On September 21, 2001, The Ohio State University Marching Band (TBDBITL) performed a halftime field show at the Jackson High School football field, and that night marched in the Festival parade for the first time; the Ohio State Alumni Band has also made several appearances in the parade lineup. The U.S. Marine Corps Band appeared in the 2007 parade.

Another long-standing tradition of the Jackson County Apple Festival is a pageant for the Apple Festival Queen.

List of Apple Festival Queens

1937: Jean Clark

1938: Alta Single

1939: Betty Richards

1940: Ruth Horton

1941: Helen Woodruff

(World War II hiatus)

1946: Nancy Schellenger

1947: Pat May

1948: Ruth Ann Hixon

1949: Carolyn Conroy

1950: Phyllis Claar

1951: Marjorie Downard

1952: Shirley Walburn

1953: Melva Finch

1954: Edna Burton

1955: Phyllis Mullins

1956: Pat Richards

1957: Vivian Patterson

1958: Janet Corvin

1959: Beverly Varchmin

1960: Henrietta Fulton

1961: Paula Hess

1962: Carolyn Myers

1963: Barbara Sergent

1964: Janet Simpson

1965: Sue Surface

1966: Kathy Richards

1967: Linda Crabtree

1968: Brenda Dalton

1969: Lynn Morgan

1970: Connie Tucker (became Miss Ohio Festivals)

1970: Lin Schneider (replaced Connie Tucker)

1971: Jan Russ

1972: Drema Crawford

1973: Stephanie Davis

1974: Iris Wardlow

1975: Mary Rupert

1976: Noreena Maynard

1977: Tammy Baisden

1978: Susan Ridge

1979: Sheryl Tolliver

1980: Jill Martin

1981: Sharon Dearing

1982: Carla Cooper

1983: Lisa Humphreys

1984: Barbie Britton

1985: Tammy Hill

1986: Christina Hill

1987: Michelle Tackett

1988: Leigh Ann Cox

1989: Sarah Sheward

1990: Gwen Wood

1991: Jodie Brown

1992: Susan Moore

1993: Christy Warrens

1994: Marlana Malone

1995: Alicia Parker

1996: Bethany Hodge

1997: Nicole Fulton

1998: Julie Murray

1999: Sarah Williamson

2000: Kristi Sturgill

2001: Jenny Bragg

2002: Erikka Jo Alcantara

2003: Courtney Wills

2004: Rikki Atwood

2005: Shara Lahrmer

2006: Kayla McMillen

2007: Sarah Newkirk

ee also

*List of festivals in the United States

External links

* [http://www.jacksonapplefestival.com/ The Official Jackson Apple Festival Website]
* [http://www.findlayliving.com/article_889.shtml The Apple of Ohio's Eye - Aug. 31, 2005]
* [http://www.wsaz.com/weather/headlines/9855012.html WSAZ: Football Nights and Apple Delights - Sept. 18, 2007]
* [http://www.ofea.org/view.php?fest_id=43 Ohio Festival & Events Association Membership]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78878/Ohio Britannica.com on Ohio culture, including Apple Festival]