Winchester's Apple Blossom Festival..keep it? Get rid of it? (Fairfax: appointed, for sale)

[cathy J.]

Last night my husband and I myself were watching the news about the death of Gary Coleman and remembering the time he was at the festival ( which wasn't exactly postitve..but thats another story ). Anyway between the accident involving the fireworks at this year's bloom and from what I have been told by many the number of fire companies who were "kicked out" of the firefighters parade I am starting to hear from many that maybe for 2011, the bloom should be "downgraded" to just one parade ( Grand Feature ) and be strictly a Saturday-Sunday only sort of thing...or even maybe it would be better to just forget the whole thing. Thoughts?

Me..considering that the bloom still brings in the money I would favor the one parade and having the events be strictly Saturday and Sunday. Having the city and even the county more/less shut down most of Friday, for years maybe that was a good idea but now I am not so sure. For starters many local businesses no longer give their employees that Friday off which means many of them can't attend the Friday events and the inconveince in itself is an issue such as having the kids get the day off from school while both parents have to work, I have heard complaints about that one.

[dragons]

Keep it. Just spread out the events throughout the county instead of cramming everything into downtown Winchester.

[cathy J.]

Originally Posted by dragons

Keep it. Just spread out the events throughout the county instead of cramming everything into downtown Winchester.

One "slight" problem...Frederick County doesn't want anything to do with Apple Blossom and the city of Winchester has made it clear over the years.."..this is a city event that belongs to the city of Winchester"..

Politics as usual

[South Jersey Styx]

I just moved to Winchester and live in the Historic District so this was my first experience with the AB Festival. I saw a list of all of the events (week-long) and thought I'd attend more but did not.

I did go to the Fire Man's Parade and enjoyed it very much. I did not know that some firemen were excluded? What's the scoop on that? I noticed that the trucks, equipment, and even marching bands were from associated places, including WV, PA, and central VA.

Didn't attend the big parade on Sat-- too hot, too crowded, and I didn't "reserve" a seat downtown (i.e., get my folding chair out there during the week)!

Queen. Wasn't there a late-scramble this year for the Apple Blossom Queen? I understand that it's a celebrity's daughter who gets picked or something like that? And that they get paid for this? I was talking to a few neighbors and someone suggested to just get a local beauty--- someone who doesn't get paid the big $$. Invite Miss Virginia or someone else more closely related to the area.

I think some of the events were quite pricey.

Where were the apples? I was surprised that, with the exception of the apple pie baking contest, that there wasn't much else related to apples -- like tours of apple wineries or anything like that. I saw caramel and candy apples for sale at the fair but that's standard. Did the carnival have apple-eating contests or dunk for the apples? I thought there would be something more educational -- for example, explaining why the apple industry was important to Winchester's economy. Or maybe food demonstrations on cooking apple recipes.

I like the spirit of it all -- a Festival that encompasses the town that basically celebrates Spring. But I wonder when/if changes have been made along the way as far as events, guests, types of activities, and locations of things.

[SteelCityRising]

For me I was very unhappy with the way the Saturday parade was organized. I realized that the chairs lining the streets had been paid for and "reserved", so I respectfully and responsibly staked out a spot to stand far in advance of the parade that offered me a view to take pictures yet also would not have impeded the views of others who were seated. The problem? As the area became more and more congested as the parade began I got "pushed" by a crowd behind me into the line-of-sight of people who were seated beside me at the end of one of these rows of chairs. One of them apparently complained to a parade official who came over and told me and other early-birds who were inadvertently pushed forward to, more or less, "take a hike" because we were now in the way of "paying parade attendees." The man who told us this was elderly, and he was very rude. I was tempted to point to those behind us and indicate it wasn't our fault that we had been swept forward as the crowds worsened, but I thought better of it and just stormed off. I had intended to spend more money to help Winchester's economy that day, but instead I just hopped in my car and went back to Fairfax County, disgusted.

My recommendation? Have some sort of non-sight-impeding barrier behind the rows of chairs that will prevent people behind the chairs from being "pushed" forward into the view of those seated as the crowds swell (i.e. like the moveable queue lines you saw at movie theaters to keep lines in-check during premieres). I didn't think that was rocket science, but apparently it was for the parade organizers.

I also concur that I was disappointed the festival had so little to do with APPLES---the namesake! I was interested in learning more about the importance of apples in relation to the city.

I won't be back next year. Neither will my wallet.

[LynchburgLover]

It's the Apple Blossom Festival. It celebrates the rebirth in the Spring of the trees. Hence the pink & green motif representing the blossoms.

The fruit come in the fall and, generally, are red.

[cathy J.]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

Queen. Wasn't there a late-scramble this year for the Apple Blossom Queen? I understand that it's a celebrity's daughter who gets picked or something like that? And that they get paid for this? I was talking to a few neighbors and someone suggested to just get a local beauty--- someone who doesn't get paid the big $$. Invite Miss Virginia or someone else more closely related to the area.

Actually the Queen and the celebrities involved, the don't get paid other than for their transportation and in some cases, their lodging expenses. Of course there are exceptions as Q102 for many years did pay for the number country music stars who were to be the Firefighters Marshall. They didn't this year since that was Randy Mantooth who is hardly a country music star.

Of course the stars not getting paid well it wasn't always that way. Back in the 70's the celebrites and the queen were paid for not by the bloom or Winchester but rather by Dr. Pepper and General Electric since during the 70's up until 1980, the grand feature parade was televised nationwide in markets far away from Virginia such as Phoenix, San Francisco, Denver, Dallas and I believe even in Fairbanks, Alaska and of course the program was sponsored by GE and Dr. Pepper. The hosts for the telecasts were stars in their own right such as in 1978 for example, the team doing the hosting were Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams ( Laverne & Shirley ). Dr. Pepper and General Electric paid for, well everything. 1978 was the year of Dolly Parton's appearance, actually a few years back on You Tube somebody had uploaded a scene of her singing "Here You Come Again" as she was walking up Braddock Street during the parade. Those telecasts were very classy and well done. But sometime in 1980 The Bloom decided to discontinue them from what I can recall it was due to a fallout with Dr. Pepper and cutbacks at GE.

Through the 80's usually the celebrities chosen had some tie with Winchester or Virginia like Mary Tyler Moore and Katie Couric..both at the time of their appearance had own property in the region. Dan Ackroyd's brother-in-law lives near Stephens City and Robert Wagner was picked for the 1985 bloom only because he was in nearby Loudoun County filming a TV show. Willard Scott & Al Roker, well both had done local TV in Washington and Baltimore so thats their "ties" to Winchester.

The queens are picked based from more/less the same idea.