LINCOLN -- Fall brings to mind apples and apples bring to mind the Arkansas Apple Festival on Lincoln Square.
This year's festival will be the 46th celebration since the first one held in 1976.
Mayor Doug Hutchens said the Apple Festival is Lincoln's "signature event" and he's glad to see it back up to 100% this year.
"We're back up running," Hutchen said last week.
Along with the three-day festival, the Apple Festival Pageant returned as part of the festivities this year. The pageant was held Sept. 24 at Lincoln Middle School.
The annual parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, will start at the middle school and go around Lincoln Square. In the past, someone has announced parade entries but this year they will not be an announcer.
Crowds showed up for the 44th Arkansas Apple Festival in 2019. The 2020 event was canceled because of the covid pandemic, one of many annual events in Northwest Arkansas canceled because of covid concerns and covid restrictions.
However, the Apple Festival returned in 2021 with many people coming to Lincoln to enjoy the fall weekend featuring the festival parade, arts and crafts vendors, food concessions and the popular apple core throwing contest.
The 2022 Apple Festival opens at 8 a.m., Friday, Sept. 30 for craft and food vendors and continues throughout the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Vendors will close for this year's festival at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Rhonda Hulse, who chairs the Apple Festival Committee, said more than 80 vendors have registered to participate in the 2022 Apple Festival, with many of these taking up more than one booth space. That's a little more than last year but not as many as the number of vendors that participated prior to the covid pandemic, Hulse said.
"We're pretty full," Hulse said.
Visitors will have many choices from the food concessions. These items will include funnel cakes, corn dogs, nachos, chicken strips, smoked turkey legs, tacos, ice cream, fresh pork rinds and pulled pork sandwiches.
Lincoln Kiwanis Club will have its traditional food concessions in the community building Friday through Sunday. The Kiwanis will offer beans and cornbread, chili and apple dumplings/vanilla ice cream. Proceeds help with college scholarships.
The city sponsors the most popular spot at the Arkansas Apple Festival each year, freshly sliced apples handed out free by volunteers for visitors to enjoy. Another tent provides free samples of apple cider, along with cider that can be purchased.
Hulse said the festival usually gives away 100 bushes of apple slices during the three days and sells about 500-600 gallons of apple cider. The Lincoln Masonic Lodge will have its regular tent set up to sell bags of fresh apples to patrons.
Hulse, who has chaired the festival committee in a volunteer capacity since 2007, said this will probably be her last year as the chairwoman for the event. She said she will continue to help each year along with other city employees but believes it is time to hand over the baton to a new person.
"I'm basically putting on the whole festival," Hulse said. "Yes, I've had helpers but I've got to where I've been doing everything to get it together. "
She said the focus after this year's festival will be to look for someone to take it over for the future.
Hulse said she has enjoyed working with the Apple Festival and her favorite part has been working with the vendors and helping them as much as possible.
FILE PHOTO Doug Hulse and Megan Hudgens volunteer at the city's booth for free fresh apple slices during the 2017 Arkansas Apple Festival in Lincoln.
FILE PHOTO Freshly sliced apples, ready to be handed out free to visitors at the Arkansas Apple Festival in Lincoln.
FILE PHOTO Carlos Reed hands over a bowl of fresh apple slices to a young visitor at the 44th Arkansas Apple Festival, held in October 2019. The 2020 festival was canceled because of covid-19.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Carlos Reed hands over a bowl of fresh apple slices to this young lady at the 44th Arkansas Apple Festival. Many festival visitors lined up to enjoy the apple slices. Reed was one of many people who volunteered with the three-day event. Committee members reported a great turnout on Friday and Saturday. Sunday's rainy weather affected attendance.
FILE PHOTO The striped tent is the most popular site at the Arkansas Apple Festival, as visitors will line up to receive free apple slices.
FILE PHOTO Abbi Lee of Farmington enjoys a fresh slice of apple at the 2017 Arkansas Apple Festival in Lincoln. Volunteers hand out free apple slices throughout the three-day Festival held on Lincoln Square.