Sponsored by the Enon Community Historical Society, Apple Butter Festival reminds us of our roots and those mysterious apple trees that were already growing on the Adena Mound when settlers arrived here in the early 1800s.
How the trees got started, nobody knows. Were they planted intentionally by someone like Johnny Appleseed? Or did they grow from apple cores left behind by an early explorers’ picnic? We just know the trees were there on the mound when settlers got here and early Enon residents enjoyed them.
The first local apple butter was made using apples from those trees, and the Apple Butter Festival grew out of that.
We all love taking turns to stir the apple butter in the huge copper kettles. Each holds 50 gallons. Stirring the apple butter with those antique style wooden paddles has a way of linking our modern world with those who came here before us.
If you would like to stir a bit, just ask. Usually the stirrer’s arms will need a break anyway and you will get a chance to stir a few times. Sometimes you might have to wait while thickness is tested or the bubbling gets under control.
Those in charge of the apple butter making are extra careful around those huge 50 gallon copper kettles and the fires.
That is also one of the reasons that dogs and pets are not allowed at the Apple Butter Festival. No one wants pets or people to get hurt or to cause splashing or spills. Seriously, your pets will be better off at home. (Take them for a nice walk that evening and give them a fancy doggie treat from one of our pet treat vendors.)
The festival used to be set up at the foot of the mound but now it is held in a bigger location around the old Enon Elementary School with sidewalks that makes it all bearable if it rains. And there is a great playground that adds to the fun for our kiddos.
Do take the time to walk over to the Enon Adena Mound if you’ve never seen it. It’s the second largest Adena Mound in Ohio. I always wonder how many baskets of dirt it took to build it around 800 years ago.
Change has been constant but slow at this festival, but it always seems to move in a positive direction.
This year, one kettle of apple butter was made ahead last week so that canned apple butter will be for sale as soon as the festival starts. It’s $8 a jar. If you like your apple butter warm, you’ll have to wait a bit. The apple butter is taken from the kettles and canned immediately. I always felt that a bit of a beautiful fall day is included in the jar.
This year, a special handicap parking area is located in the parking lot of the closed Rite Aid. While we miss the convenience of the store, the additional parking in a nearby paved area is especially perfect for those with walkers and wheel chairs.
The shopping is always fun at Apple Butter Festival as some of us get decorations for autumn or get a head start on Christmas shopping. There is always something interesting.
However, it is the wide range of delicious food choices that attracts many of our visitors. There are a couple of new items this year.
Some folks come to the Apple Butter Festival for the food and to support local nonprofits. I always arrive with a bag full of sealable plastic ware and buy a couple of meals ahead to keep in the refrigerator. It also seems like a good idea to take some to friends who are home bound. They love those old time chicken and noodles and apple fritters.
Temperatures look great for this weekend. Come hang out with your neighbors, catch up on local news, fill your tummy and relax. The Apple Butter Festival is all about enjoying the arrival of fall and our lovely community.
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