Join us in downtown Erwin
for the
34th Annual
Unicoi County
Apple Festival
October 7 & 8, 2011
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday
The Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce will hold its 34th annual Unicoi County Apple Festival on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
The festival, drawing more than 100,000 annual attendees with 2010 being another record setting year of 110,000, has been consistently named one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 events in the southeast and is a three-year winner of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association’s Pinnacle Award.The premier two-day event offers something for everyone -- handmade crafts, antiques, entertainment, a large children’s area, a Blue Ridge Pottery show and sale, contests and a smorgasbord of food!
The craft festival, featuring nearly 350 vendors from around the country, will be lined along the downtown streets of Erwin showcasing their unique arts, crafts and foods.
Two Stages will be included in this year’s festival line-up. Top gospel groups from around the nation will praise the Lord in song on the Phil Bachman Toyota Gospel Stage located on the corner of Main Avenue and Love Street.The Gathering Place Park Stage sponsored by Waste Management will feature country, bluegrass and southern rock artists from across the region.
The children’s area, sponsored by the Unicoi County Family YMCA, will feature games and rides for the young and young at heart.
Bring your appetite and let it have a festival. You can enjoy everything from Chinese to Greek foods, traditional foods such and barbecue and homemade hamburgers to apple pies and apple fritters. For your convenience, two food courts including tables and chairs have been established.
To enliven one’s competitive spirit, the Unicoi County Apple Festival includes many activities and contests.For those with an appetite to cook, the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service offers a cooking contest for both adults and youth.
For the athletic competitors, a weeklong tennis tournament, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance will be held at Fishery Park.On October 8, runners from across a five-state region will converge on the streets of Erwin for the running of the Nuclear Fuel Services Apple Festival 4-mile footrace and 2-mile race walk.
Partnering with The Erwin Record, the Chamber will host the fifth annual Apple Festival Photography Contest in which amateur photographers can showcase their work and compete for prize ribbons in various divisions.
The 32nd annual Blue Ridge Pottery show and sale, held at the Unicoi County Intermediate School, is a must-see for Blue Ridge pottery collectors and admirers. Rare pieces can often be found during the show.Blue Ridge Pottery, now sought after by collectors worldwide, originated in Unicoi County.
The festival spans across a 5 block section of downtown Erwin and includes adjoining side streets.From Interstate 26, take Exit 37 into downtown Erwin.Several parking areas around Exit 37 have been secured for festival attendees.
To ensure the safety of the large number of attendees, festival organizers ask that you please do not bring pets onto the festival grounds. Bicycles and skateboards are also not permitted on festival grounds.
