Apple Festival Activities
Please continue to check this page throughout the months to come as it will be updated with 2010 festival activities as the become available.
ARTS & CRAFTS
It's a shoppers delight! Nearly 350 vendors from around the country will line downtown Erwin in “American Craft Country”. With everything from handmade jewelry and woodturning to paintings and pottery, the arts and crafts at the Unicoi County Apple Festival are a must see!
GOSPEL SINGING
Both Friday and Saturday, on the Toyota stage, top gospel singers from around the nation will praise the Lord in song. Below is a complete schedule of Friday's and Saturday's Gospel Stage line-up for 2009. The gospel stage is adjacent to one of the festival food courts and contains seating for up to 800.
| Friday, October 2, 2009 | Saturday, October 3, 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | Ron Fender | 10 a.m. | Brian Birchfield |
| 10:15 a.m. | The Melody Trio | 10:30 a.m. | The Gospel Proclaimers |
| 10:45 a.m. | Shannon Bunch | 11:00 a.m. | Majestic Heights |
| 11:15 a.m. | Majestic Heights | 11:30 a.m. | Brian Birchfield |
| 11:45 a.m. | The Woodsmen | 12:00 p.m. | Greater Glory |
| 12:15 p.m. | Rick Strickland | 12:30 p.m. | Break |
| 12:45 p.m. | Break | 12:45 p.m. | The American Quartet |
| 1:00 p.m. | Naomi and the Segos | 1:15 p.m. | Perfect Heart |
| 1:30 p.m. | Shireys | 1:45 p.m. | Mike Upright |
| 2:00 p.m. | Carolina Crossmen | 2:15 p.m. | The Foundations |
| 2:30 p.m. | Melody Trio | 3:05 p.m. | The Gospel Proclaimers |
| 3:00 p.m. | Shannon Bunch | 3:40 p.m. | Majestic Heights |
| 3:30 p.m. | Majestic Heights | 4:15 p.m. | Perfect Heart |
| 4:00 p.m. | The Woodsmen | 4:50 p.m. | The American Quartet |
| 4:30 p.m. | Rick Strickland | 5:25 p.m. | The Foundations |
| 5:00 p.m. | Carolina Crossmen | 6 p.m. | Mike Upright |
| 5:30 p.m. | Break | ||
| 5:45 p.m. | Shireys | ||
| 6:15 p.m. | Naomi and the Segos | ||
ENTERTAINMENT
For your enjoyment, two-days of entertainment with Bluegrass to Country and Contemporary Christian entertainers will be featured on the Appalachian Community Federal Credit Union Stage in the Gathering Place Park.
| Friday, October 2, 2009 | Saturday, October 3, 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 a.m. | Rowdy Tipton | 10:30 a.m. | Appalachain Trail |
| 11 a.m. | Laura Kaufman | 12 p.m. | Gloryland Trio |
| 1 p.m. | Daisi Rain | 1:30 p.m. | Mountain Rose |
| 3 p.m. | Ralph Jeffers | 3 p.m. | Tomahawk |
| 5 p.m. | Miss Johnson City | 4:30 p.m. | Highway 11 |
| 7 p.m. | Tomahawk | 6p.m. | Breaking Tradition |
The Chamber Stage, new to the festival this year, will be located at the end of Gay Street near the Nolichucky Street intersection. This stage will highlight local talent, dancers and contest winners.
There will be no entertainment on the Chamber Stage Friday, October 2, 2009. |
Saturday, October 3, 2009 |
|||
| 10 a.m. | Clinchfield Lines | 2:45 p.m. | Drama |
| 11 a.m. | Miss Apple Festival Pageant Contest Winners | 3 p.m. | Dixie Spirit |
| 12 p.m. | Dancer's Unlimited | 4 p.m. | Mountain Rhythm Cloggers |
| 12:45 p.m. | Apple Dumpling Contest Winners | 5 p.m. | Stoney Creek Cloggers |
| 1 p.m. | Trail Blazer Cloggers | 6 p.m. | Just Dance |
| 2 p.m. | The Dandy Lines | ||
A fourth stage will be added to the already large children’s area in the Erwin Town Hall parking lot. This stage will feature scheduled entertainment for children of all ages by the Unicoi County High School Drama Department.
FOOD, FOOD, FOOD
No need to pack your lunch! Everything from traditional, Chinese, Greek, Stir-Fry to specialty items such as apple butter, fried pies, jams, jellies and other apple treats are available. Bring your appetite and let it have a festival.
CHILDREN’S AREA
The large children's area is a festival within a festival, uniquely designed for the young festivalgoers, complete with rides, games, concessions and much more.
Sponsored by the Unicoi County Family YMCA, the 2009 festival children’s area will feature exciting attractions including The Fun Factory, Adrenalin Rush, Laser Tag, Bungee Run, Joust, Saber-Tooth Tiger Slide, Bungee Trampoline and Madagascar. Children and adults of all ages are invited to participate. The train ride, a children’s favorite from years past, will also be part of this year’s events.
APPLE FESTIVAL TALENT & BEAUTY PAGEANT
The 2009 "Miss Apple Festival" will be crowned at the 5th annual Apple Festival pageant on Saturday, September 26. The pageant will consist of eight different divisions in beauty varying from 0-12 months to 16 years and older and three divisions in talent ranging from 3-7 years, 8-12 years and 13 & older.
The various pageant beauty divisions are as follows:
0 -12 months Baby Miss Apple Festival Queen
13-24 months Toddler Miss Apple Festival Queen
2-3 years Wee Miss Apple Festival Queen
4 -5 years Tiny Miss Apple Festival Queen
6 -8 years Little Miss Apple Festival Queen
9 -12 years Pre-Teen Miss Apple Festival Queen
13- 15 years Teen Miss Apple Festival Queen
16 & over Miss Apple Festival Queen
The various pageant talent divisions are as follows:
3 -7 years Tiny Miss Talent
8 -12 years Little Miss Talent
13 & over Miss Talent
A queen and four runners up will be awarded in the beauty division and a queen, first and second runner up awarded in the talent division during pageant. The overall talent winner will perform at the Festival. Click here for complete rules and a Unicoi County Apple Festival Pageant Application.
ROAD RACE
It's a race to the finish line....join in Erwin’s world-famous 4 mile run and 2 mile race walk. Click here for an application.
APPLE COOKING CONTEST
Bring your favorite dish on Friday, Oct. 2 to the 2009 Unicoi County Apple Festival Cooking Contest. This year’s contest will be held at the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce office in downtown Erwin. Entries will be received between 9 and 10 a.m., with the closed judging to begin at 10 a.m.Categories for the apple contest include apple cakes, apple pies and any other apple dish. Only one entry per person per category will be accepted. The entries for the contest must include at least one cup of apples, applesauce or dried apples. A copy of the recipe must be included with the entry to qualify for judging.Prizes in each of the three categories will be $50 for first place, $30 for second place and $20 for third place. All winners will receive an official Unicoi County Apple Festival rosette. Sponsors for the 2009 Apple Cooking Contest include the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce and the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. For more information about the contest, call the Extension Office at (423) 743-9584.
To challenge the cooking talents of youth between the ages 12-17, a youth cooking contest will also be featured. Contest rules require that you must bake the dessert yourself and the recipe must include at least 1 cup of apples, applesauce or dried apples. A copy of the recipe must be included with the entry to qualify for judging. Only one entry per person will be accepted. The contest will be held at the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce office in downtown Erwin. Entries must be received between 9 and 10 a.m., with the closed judging to begin at 10 a.m. Prizes will be awarded for 1st through 3rd place, with 1st place receiving $ 50, 2nd place $30 and 3rd place $20.
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
Show off your photographic style during the 3rd annual Apple Festival Photography Contest sponsored by The Valley Beautiful Beacon Newspaper and the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce. Two age divisions are available: adult (18+) and teen (13-17). Both color and black and white photographs are welcome. The contest will include six categories in both age divisions - inanimate objects, people, animals, plants/flowers, landscapes and water scenes. Contestants many only enter one black and white and one color photo per category. All entries must be print size 8" x 10" and matted on a white 11" x 14" matte. No frames, glass or color mattes will be judged. Contestants should print their name, address, phone number, age division and category on the back of the matte. Ribbons will be awarded for 1st through 3rd place in both categories and age divisions. A best in show award will be chosen from the first place winners. Entries must be submitted to the Chamber or the Beacon by Friday, September 25. The contest is limited to amateur photographers only.
BLUE RIDGE POTTERY CLUB SHOW AND SALE
Come and shop beautiful Blue Ridge Pottery from dealers throughout America. As the largest show and sale of Blue Ridge Pottery in the United States, this is definitely a must see for all visitors and collectors alike. Join us for the 30th annual Blue Ridge Pottery Show at the Unicoi County Middle School Gymnasium. Doors are open from 6 - 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 1 for a Preview Sale. Regular show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information on the Blue Ridge Pottery Club Show and Sale, call (423) 743-4891 or (423) 926-1359.
CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT
The Clinchfield Senior Adult Center will host a Cornhole (or Corn Toss) Tournament on Friday and Saturday of this year’s festival. Tournament play will require teams of two to pre-register with an entry fee of $10 per person. Three separate playoffs are planned (Friday morning, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning) with the winning team for each playoff receiving $50 cash prize and a trophy. Playoff winners will complete in a “grand finale” Saturday afternoon for a cash prize of $100 and bragging rights! Every tournament entrant must be familiar with the rules of the game for tournament play. A copy of tournament rules can be purchased from the senior center office for $1.00 or read on line at www.playcornhole.org. All ages can enter but players must be able to aim and pitch the corn bag a distance of 30 feet. Space is limited so please register early by calling the senior center at 743-5111. Clinchfield Federal Credit Union will be the official sponsor for the event, which will be held on the recently cleared lot at the corner of Elm Avenue and Union Street. This tournament is sanctioned by the American Cornhole Association, (www.playcornhole.org) It is free to join the ACA and entrants who are ACA members will have their scores posted on the member website. ACA membership is not required to enter and play in the tournament.
