And so, Pippenfest was cultivated, and continues to grow 32 years later.
This year's free festival, centered around Main Street in Fairfield, will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Festival organizer Sally Thomas said this year's festival will feature more than 80 craft and food vendors over the two days, with sellers coming from across the mid-Atlantic area to display crafted goods.
Some of the vendors offer jewelry, pottery, doll dresses, leather goods and antiques, but try to keep all of the items hand-made, and only select commercial items on a limited basis.
The festival, named after the pippin apple, a tart fruit that was most popular in colonial America, has left a deep-rooted mark on the nearly 200-year-old town, officials said.
A single pippin apple tree stands behind that Fairfield Inn as the symbolic namesake of the annual apple fall festival.
And as that single pippin apple tree has grown, so has Pippinfest, into a revitalized two-day event with a community yard sale, climbing wall, quilt show, car and tractor shows, stilt walkers, bluegrass music, and of course, apples.
Lots of apples.
"This festival serves as a homecoming to the locals who have since grown and moved away, but it's not just that," festival organizer Sally Thomas said. "This festival is a great fundraiser and community centered event."
This year, the Pippinfest will offer entertainment on both days, including performances from the Fairfield High School show choir and jazz bands, the Bluegrass Chapel Band, Neil & Sharron and Mountain Air.
If you go
LOCATION: Main Street, Fairfield.
HOURS: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. Sunday.
DETAILS: To find out more about the events, visit pippinfest.com/Events.html.
Font Resize
