Apple Festival......

This weekend was Apple Festival Weekend in Chilhowie, Virginia.  Chilhowie was known as the Apple Capital in Southwest Virginia.  Now the apple orchards are no longer here--subdivisions have replaced them.  However, Chilhowie still celebrates the Apple Festival every year in September.  This year was the 59th year.

The community still decorates and people still get geared up for this event.  Many vendors come with all kinds of crafts, a parade is held, beauty pageants, and a band competition.

  Both daughters were coming home-YIPPEE!!  Daughter #1 thought some ( no number was specified) pharmacy students might come and do a little of community service while here.  They needed a tent set up and were going of offer free medical advice to anyone.  Okay--no problem will have a tent set up-close to the library.  #2 Daughter was bringing her roommate with her.

Charlie had told the community we were fixing ham biscuits for anyone who wanted on.  So on the way to the parade-stop by and get a biscuit. 

Preparations began Friday night.  No one can celebrate the Apple Festival without apple dumplings.  So I began the baking.  

C

This is just one batch of the many more to bake!

Before I realized, time was slipping away and it was time to get up!!  Time did slip by......

where did the night go. I do believe I had just put my pj's on and the alarm clock began blaring at 5:30. Time for more baking---ham rolls I had decided on rolls not biscuits...hey they are easier and in my opinion taste better and I had 200 + to bake. I found these rolls that are sweet and good and the best part...easy!!!  I began baking quietly--daughters and grandson was still sound asleep.  The loudest sound was the coffee pot.  At the same time, Charlie was firing up the grill to begin the ham.  Many ham rolls were baked before daughters and grandson began to wake up.  Shortly after daughters woke up, the first knock at the door--#2 daughter's friend came and brought her 3 yr. old niece.  Now this made daughters nervous-they weren't ready-hey it is only 8:00 was the reply.  Daughters whisked to their rooms to get dressed.   Another knock-and a whoop from my 3 yr. old and 7 yr. old cousins.  Nate, my grandson, is where?   I had kinda forgot about him with the commotion.  Stomp, thump, "Mom someone is at the door and I don't know who it is and have never seen this man before in my life" shrieks #2 daughter.  So, I go to the door and when I open it, I realize I have never seen these people before.  They were looking for daughter #1--her pharmacy school friends.  I lost count after #20---  I was speechless---huh?  So I immediately get #1 daughter--ready or not!  Of course, she knew they were coming, as a matter of fact she had told me.  Huh?  I looked out for more....do these vehicles belong to you guys....

I have to talk to them about this later on.

 

The ham was smelling enticing, so we all went outside for ham rolls.  Being straight forward I asked, so you guys are from California, Minnesota, and Texas, right? Yes/No was the reply.  Some of us are, but I am from New York, I am from Baltimore, I am from Africa, and......okay I get the picture.  I should have stopped there but.....I had to ask--so why on earth did you choose Grundy for pharmacy school.  Same reason as your daughter was their reply....3 years and not 4. Okay, I can live with that.  So then I proceeded to tell them about our small town--I was trying to prepare them for the parade-I didn't want them to think of it as a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! This was a  little, ole town--heck our high school only has 469 students and....."Mom! It's okay"........I decided to be quite. After eating, we all walked to the parade. Now these guys were excited.  What is so exciting about our small town.  Their reply--"When you study as much as we do, anything is exciting".

The parade from floats to firetrucks, to bands

My middle school students!!!

to Sponge Bob with grandson----

was a hit for all.

After the parade, all went his/her way.  Daughter #1 and her pharmacy friends had to go to the tent and begin community service.  A quick picture before heading out....some had wandered off.....

Daughter #2, her roommate, and friend were heading to the band competition---I joined them.  I have always enjoyed the band competition.  Hub was alright with this--he was going to watch the football game-but I knew a catnap was planned.

The sun was taking a toll on me so I left the band competition and decided to look at all the crafts and check on other daughter and pharmacy students.  Working hard-or hardly working.....

Hmmmm.....

I really admired these students.  They came back to the house later that evening.  Shockingly they were excited and not very tired.  Apple dumplings were on their mind....many had never heard of this..so I showed off my chef skills...and I couldn't get enough compliments.  My head was swelling until #1 daughter had to tell about my cooking abilities.  Oh well...... everyone did have a good laugh.  I just can't brag enough on these students--their manners, friendly behavior, work ethic, etc. Let me just say, I was flabbergasted about their character traits.  

The evening ended with a fire and fixing smores.  

I couldn't have asked for a better Apple Festival Weekend.

Tammy