The Apple Festival in Erwin, Tennessee is a classic local festival that has regional implications. The variety of food and craft vendors bring numerous visitors from the region and across the mountains from North Carolina. I have lived in the area all of my life. This is the first time I have ever been to the Apple Festival. I had no idea what I had been missing in Erwin all these years.

Small Town Hospitality

Erwin is the epitome of small-town hospitality and friendliness. Everywhere we ventured, there were friendly and helpful locals who showed us where to go and the best means of getting around. The variety of vendors was obviously talented. Each of them in their own way was very generous and friendly. There had to be around 100,000 people there on Saturday. The deputy sheriffs, police, firemen and EMS were all coming through. Yet I did not see any of them working – that is to say, engaged in work. They were making their rounds and visiting all of the booths and chatting with everyone they met too. If there were any issues the first responders had to deal with, I was not aware of any. We all felt safe and serene. It was quite restful, except that I was working on the food truck our son owns.

Food For a Feast

There was probably enough food from the various vendors to feed the entire population of Unicoi County for a month – if not a whole year. The food trucks and concessions were all located in a single food court behind – you guessed it. The courthouse! A multitude of local and out of area vendors was on hand with everything from breakfast (served all day at Shane’s Place out of Johnson City), to Donuts from Auntie Ruth’s. The menus included salads, hotdogs, Chinese, sausages, funnel cakes, hamburgers, Philly Cheesesteaks, Apple Turkey Sandwiches, Breakfast Burritos, Grilled Cheese, Fried Chips and Potatoes, and lots more. There was even a dessert booth with scrumptious pies.

Benefits of Festivals in Rural Areas

There are many benefits to festivals held in rural areas, such as Unicoi County, Tennessee. It gives the local folks another reason to get out and visit with their friends and neighbors they haven’t seen in quite some time. My wife met several distant family members and friends she hadn’t seen in a long time.

The festival tradition allows us to celebrate the apple harvest and share the beauty of our bounty with others and brings both tourism and needed tax dollars to help support the local community and its residents. People often stay close to home, yet they venture out to festivals in surrounding communities. It gives us a chance to reconnect and enjoy the relationship we have with our locality and its traditions.

We plan to be back next year, and I hope to see you there.

John