Among the attractions: fritters and 7,500 pies
Beautiful weather attracted large crowds to LaFayette for the first day of the annual Apple Fest.
Nice weather attracted a crowd estimated at between 20,000 and 24,000 to the annual LaFayette Apple Festival on Route 20, about 2 ½ miles west of Interstate 81.
The festival grounds dried up nicely from last week’s rains and were able to handle the traffic well, Festival organizer Dave Knapp said.
Despite today's crowds, vendors are ready to open again Sunday morning with plenty on hand for apple lovers, Knapp said. “We’ve got plenty of apples, plenty of pies and plenty of cider,” he said.
The festival will be open again Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $4 and children 12 and under get in free. Local community groups are selling apple fritters, barbecued chicken and apple pies.
This year, members of two LaFayette-area churches baked about 7,500 pies for the festival, according to Knapp. More than 400 volunteers, many of them teenagers, from 18 non-profit groups work at the festival.
