OCEAN VIEW – The Annual Applefest for the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Twp. (HPSUT) will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at the John Wesley Gandy Farmstead, 26 Tyler Road (Route 616), Ocean View.
Free festival, free parking
There is no admission charge for the AppleFest. In addition, parking at the festival is always free of charge.
The Applefest is one of the major community-wide events held each year by the HPSUT and is a favorite Fall gathering for residents and visitors in the Township.
AppleFest Committee Chairperson for 2021 Linda Leonard will be the overall lead for the 2021 AppleFest and can be contacted at 609-827-4582 or lleonard246@gmail.com.
Demonstrations by craft artisans
There will be special demonstrations on a Flint-lock musket, bee keeping, spinning and weaving, decoy carving, a discussion / walk-through of the Gandy herb garden and much more.
Apple Pie Contest
An Apple Pie Baking Contest will be judged at 2 p.m. with entries accepted in the Junior Division, Ages 15 and under, and the Senior Division, Ages 16 and up. Chef Tyson Merryman of the Tuckahoe Inn and Nick Karayiannis with Dino’s Seaville Diner will be the senior judges for the contest and also be assisted by additional volunteer judges from the community.
Prizes and ribbons are award to the selected winners and then complementary samples of all of the entry pies are served to all the festival attendees.
Visit all the Gandy Farmstead buildings
Knowledgeable docents will be on hand in the Gandy farm house to describe the history of the farm as well as the various historical artifacts that are on display. Visitors are also welcome to walk the grounds of the farm and visit the restored 1812 barn, smoke house, root cellar, antique carriage and the working windmill.
Fresh N.J. apples
The annual Applefest always features a selection of fresh New Jersey apples for sale.
Refreshments
The AppleFest has a wide range of refreshments at the Apple Bake Shoppe including fresh apple dumplings. In addition there will be caramel apples, apple cider, grilled hot dogs, bratwurst, sauerkraut, chips and more. The variety of food opportunities, staffed by Historical Society volunteers, enables the HPSUT fundraising at this event.
Children’s Activities
Face painters will be on hand and a variety of supervised children’s games will be on the back porch of the Gandy farmhouse.
Community Groups
In addition to the selection of crafters and demonstrations, community non-profit groups are always on hand at the AppleFest with information tables about their Upper Twp. programs and services. Examples include the South Shore Stitchers Quilt Guild, Upper Twp. Green Team, the Upper Twp. Business Association, the Cape Assist, the Cape May County Library and others.
For more AppleFest information, or the Historical Society in general, phone (609) 628-2425 and leave a message. A volunteer will reply. Or email uppertwphistory@yahoo.com
The Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township (HPSUT) operates and manages three historic sites that are open to the public: the Gandy House and Farmstead, ca. 1815; the Tuckahoe Train Station, 1894; and the Friendship School in Palermo, ca. 1830.
Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township:
Web: www.UpperTwpHistory.org | Facebook: www.Facebook.com/UpperTwpHistory |
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/History_Upper | Email: UpperTwpHistory@Yahoo.com |