LINCOLN -- Thousands of people came through the 42nd Arkansas Apple Festival over the weekend, enjoying crafts, food, music and the chance to visit with old friends.

"The Apple Festival is an opportunity for people to come home and get together," Mayor Rob Hulse said.

The biggest crowd showed up Saturday and Hulse guessed 10,000 to 12,000 people were on Lincoln Square at one time or another throughout the day.

"Overall, it was a great weekend and a great day to enjoy Lincoln, Ark.," he said.

Along with the Apple Festival, The Junk Ranch and Junk at the Mill in Prairie Grove attracted thousands of people to western Washington County. The hope was the events would encourage visitors to stop by all venues, located only a few miles apart.

In Prairie Grove, Lauren Butler and her husband, Clayton, of Bentonville, had just bought a farmhouse and were looking for items at The Junk Ranch to decorate their new home.

"I love it, just wish they didn't charge," Butler said. She dragged her husband along to help carry purchases and he admitted he was glad he was there.

Another customer at The Junk Ranch, Karen Tanner of Dewey, Okla., (north of Tulsa), was enjoying a sisters' weekend. They planned to spend both days, Friday and Saturday, looking for treasures at the vintage fair and also planned to go to Junk at the Mill.

"I love it," Tanner said.

Robyn Lindsey of Huntsville brought an old, painted school bus to use as her vendor tent. Customers climbed the stairs into the bus to look at floral and interior design items. Lindsey said she only participates in The Junk Ranch as a vendor because the registration fee is affordable and the event has lots of customer traffic.

"I love the rustic atmosphere," Tanner added

A new vendor at The Junk Ranch was High Cotton & Co., of Alamo, Tenn. Owner Doris Lawrence said she and her staff drove about seven hours to get to Prairie Grove.

She read about the event in magazines and noted it had become one of the top vintage fairs in the region.

"It was our kinda stuff," Lawrence said. "We like old, new stuff."

Julie Speed with The Junk Ranch said she believes the fall fair was probably their best show yet. Vendors came from Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.

For shoppers, she said a group of eight women traveled from Louisiana to shop and an antique and junk dealer was there from California.

"He will haul all his stuff back to California to sell," Speed said.

The nice weather was an answer to prayer, she added.

"I went to bed Friday night with 75 percent chance of rain and woke up Saturday with 15 percent," Speed said.

Vendors at the Arkansas Apple Festival also raved about their location.

Kim Chennaults LLC of Pearl, Miss., was back in Lincoln for the second year.

"I did pretty good last year and decided to come back," Chennaults said. "I like the atmosphere and everybody is nice."

Juanita's Candy Kitchen of Arkadelphia has been coming to Lincoln for years. This was the fourth year for Wanda Branum to work the booth and she said she prefers the Apple Festival to others.

"It's one of the easiest ones to deal with as far as the people in charge," Branum said. "The people are so nice and friendly. They have southern hospitality in Lincoln."

She said she also loves seeing school children in Lincoln. On Friday, elementary classes walk to Lincoln Square to see all the booths. Other students can be seen working through their organizations or singing as part of the entertainment.

Jean Helm of Lincoln has been making apple butter for the Apple Festival for 20 years. She made 500 jars of apple butter for the 42nd event.

"I love the Apple Festival or I wouldn't do it," Helm said. "It's just like a hometown should be, where people like to come home and visit."

She and her husband graduated from Lincoln, left for 30 years and then came back to stay, Helm said.

Hulse expressed his appreciation to all those who volunteer to make the Apple Festival successful.

He remembers going to the first one as a fourth-grader and said the festival has been able to continue for 42 years because of committed volunteers.

"This is a city event and we're proud to have it," Hulse said.