Festival recalls apple as queen of Lincoln
FILE PHOTO
Volunteers stay busy during the 2016 Arkansas Apple Festival slicing apples and handing out free samples.
The focus is on apples on Lincoln square this weekend, but lots of other activities will be going on as well. The square will come alive with music, arts and crafts booths, concessions and thousands of people.
The 42nd Arkansas Apple Festival will start at 9 a.m. Friday with the opening of arts and crafts booths. The festival closes at 5 p.m. Sunday.
While the Lincoln area no longer has active apple orchards, the Arkansas Apple Festival continues to pay tribute to the industry that once dominated western Washington County. The early evolution of Lincoln is directly related to the growth and success of orchards in the area. The festival provides the opportunity for Lincoln to remember its history and keep its history alive.
Rhonda Hulse, co-chairwoman of the festival committee, says the 2017 Apple Festival will have about 120 vendors taking up 138 spots, the most she remembers in the past 12 years. But the weekend has something to offer all ages.
The annual parade will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday. Entries include tractors, floats, vintage cars, bands, horses and more. The kids’ zone will have pony and train rides and inflatables for children to play on.
One of the oldest activities at the festival is a children’s apple core throwing contest, and it will be held at noon Saturday.
A new event this year is a “Prettiest Pooch” dog contest, sponsored by Lincoln Pound Pals, a nonprofit organization formed to help the city’s animal pound. The dog contest will be 1 p.m. Saturday in front of Simmons Bank.
The festival’s talent show starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion building.
Visitors also can take their pick of food from funnel cakes, cornbread and beans to homemade apple dumplings, barbecue, hamburgers, corndogs, apple butter and kettle corn.
Hulse says the Apple Festival is a wonderful tradition for the town. She moved to Lincoln when she was in first grade and remembers going to the Apple Festival and looking forward to it as a child.
“It’s important to keep it going,” Hulse says.
— Washington County Enterprise-Leader
