Prince Gallitzin State Park hosts annual apple cider festival
PATTON, Pa. (WTAJ) — Prince Gallitzin State Park hosts an annual Apple Cider Festival each year. It draws as many as 20,000 people to the area.
It's always held on the first Sunday of October. For more than thirty years, it's become somewhat of a local holiday.
"We have about 150 craft vendors, 20 food vendors. And then there's other feature activities like a chainsaw carver, petting zoo. There's a couple bands here and really just a nice time for folks to come out and enjoy the park," Assistant Park Manager, Tim Yeager said.
Way Fruit Farm located in Port Matilda, was one of the vendors at the festival. They sold out of apple cider hours before the festival ended.
"I brought two truckloads for cider. So it is a lot, a lot of gallons. And so we brought a lot. But it's still just if you walk around the festival, everyone's carrying a cider. And so it's just a really good day for us. And it's also a way for us to connect with customers we don't normally deal with," Jason Coopey, Co-Owner of Way Fruit Farm said.
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However, if someone couldn't buy apple cider, they could learn how to grind it.
For festival attendees like Brannigan Jackson, grinding apples with her daughter Rosalynn brought back sweet memories.
"I'm hoping that she remembers it the way I did because I haven't been here since I was probably her age. So this is fun to come back and do it again. We just want to eat all the things, all the apple things," she said.
It's become a tradition for some families, and the start of something new for first-timers like Mike Kasun.
"Most people don't know how cool Prince Gallitzin State Park is. But it's one of our jewels in our backyard. And, you know, 20,000 people, they say, are going to be here today. I'm glad I'm one of them," he said.
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The proceeds from the Apple Cider festival go towards the Friends of Prince Gallitzin State Park for future park projects. According to Yeager, they're a group that raises money to go to the purchase of items that go back into the park like benches and playgrounds.
