|
Dover Apple Harvest Fest Saturday |
|
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Saturday marks the 29th celebration of Apple Harvest Day, the Seacoast’s largest fall festival, which attracted over 50,000 people last year. 2013 This year features over 300 vendors, six entertainment stages, numerous family-friendly activities and a 5K road race on October 5. (Schedule of events below)
In total, this year's event will span nearly eight blocks, including large sections of Central Avenue, Henry Law Avenue and Third Street, as well as Henry Law Park and the McConnell Center on Locust Street.
“Apple Harvest Day just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce Community Events Manager, Michael Mengers. “Just today we were marking new vendor spaces to accommodate everyone who wants to participate this year. It is great that the festival is becoming so well known in the area as a must-see community event.”
The day will kick-off at 8:30am with the fifth running of the Apple Harvest Day 5K Road Race beginning on River Street. Street vendors, food courts, family amusements and stage performances will open at 9:00am and run through 4:00pm.
Henry Law Park will be the focal point of the festival for families, offering over 20 inflatable amusements in the KidZone, a traveling barnyard, pony rides, a Thomas the Tank Engine roaming train and appearances by the Dover Police Department's Mounted Patrol. The park is also home to the Rotary Arts Pavilion, which will host the Apple Harvest Day Opening Ceremonies (9:00am), WOKQ Apple Pie Contest (11:00am) and numerous other community theater, dance and art performances throughout the day.
“It is absolutely amazing all of the fun that is packed down in Henry Law Park during Apple Harvest Day,” commented Mengers. “I know some families that end up spending four or five hours down there and don't even get the chance to see the other festival venues because they are having so much fun.”
Music lovers will also have no trouble spending the day at Apple Harvest Day. In total, over 25 bands and soloists will perform on stages located on Orchard Street, the Cocheco Courtyard, Waldron Court on Central Avenue and in the Ross Furniture parking lot on Third Street. Sure to be popular acts include Waylon Speed (12:00pm), the Vermont-based outlaw rock band, Dover's own New Orleans swing band, the Soggy Po Boys (1:00pm) and the University of New Hampshire alternative-rock band, Gretchen and the Pickpockets.
Delicious food is just another feature of Apple Harvest Day. Festival early-birds can begin dining at 8:00am on Orchard Street with a pancake breakfast cooked by the Kiwanis Club of Dover. Two food courts, one in Henry Law Park and one on Third Street, will offer a wide-array of vendors that will be cooking up festival favorites such as apple crisp, cider donuts and candy apples, as well as hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, french fries and fried dough. Additional food vendors will be dispersed throughout the festival on Central Avenue and Henry Law Avenue.
Much to the delight of motor-heads, a new addition to the event last year, the First Street Auto Alley, will be back again in 2013. Greeting attendees at the entrance to the venue will be a 27 foot inflatable Michelin man provided by Dupont's Service Center. Auto Alley will also include antique and super-modified cars on display courtesy of Todd's Touch.
Another venue going into its second year at Apple Harvest Day is the McConnell Center Arts Pavilion located on Locust Street. The McConnell Center front lawn will be filled with local art vendors, in addition to a stage with local singers and songwriters performing throughout the day.
Festival-goers heading to Dover are encouraged to park at municipal lots located on Orchard Street, First Street, Third Street and School Street, as well as the Dover Transportation Center on Chestnut Street and the Library Parking Lot on Locust Street. 5K participants should head to event parking located at the intersection of Washington Street and River Street.
For a full list of Apple Harvest Day entertainment visit www.dovernh.org/apple-harvest-day-5k-road-race or www.Facebook.com/DoverAppleHarvest. For more information contact the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce at (603) 742-2218.
