In the summer of 1964, actress and comedienne Lucille Ball was featured in the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Grand Parade. Seeing the Hollywood celebrity with her bright orange-red hair laughing and waving as she rode down the parade route sitting on the back of a convertible is one of Festival President Barry Carper’s fondest personal memories.
“I am almost 64 and my mother would take me with friends to see the Grand Feature Parade,” Carper recalled. “That was the 1964 Festival and people could use some cheering up. Thinking about it years later, Lucille Ball and the Festival became part of the healing we all needed after November of 1963 (President Kennedy’s assassination). We could all smile again, though, at the time, I did not realize the impact.”
In the 92 years of Festivals, a conservative estimate is that millions of people have visited the event and likely have personal stories, similar to the ones Carper holds dear. Coordinators estimate that 200,000 people attend during some point in the 10-day event. A majority of the visitors come from a 100-mile radius.
“That would include of course Washington DC and suburbs, Baltimore and Richmond which are only two hours away,” Carper said. “But many come from much further as evidenced by most hotel space is sold out within probably 30 to 40 miles.”
Winchester is a city of 27,349, according to US Census Bureau statistics. Located in northern Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester was founded in 1744 by Colonel James Wood and is the oldest city in the Commonwealth west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, per information provided on the City’s web site. This year is the 275th anniversary of the Winchester’s founding.
The city is already celebrating a few distinctions achieved this year. It was chosen as the #1 spot in Virginia to retire by 24/7 Wall Street and made the list of the Top 6 Cities to Start a Business in the U.S., as selected by the website PennyGeeks. The third designation was to be listed as the #4 of the 20 most affordable small towns to retire in by the website 55places.com.
“The City of Winchester goes to great lengths to address street and sidewalk improvements along with tree trimming as parade floats can be tall and near tree branches, in preparation for the festival,” Carper said. ”Churches, scout troops and others are lining up chairs for rental during the parades. As one would expect, public safety is gearing up to prepare for our visitors. There are other examples of preparation including planning meetings by local governments, and many others. It is a large effort behind the scenes.”
The Grand Parade has been coordinated by the Winchester Lions Club for 76 years. [Photo/Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, Inc.]
The history of the festival is also a history of community involvement. In the History posted on the Festival’s webpage, the original one-day event expanded with the help of local residents and Winchester’s biggest fans. That first festival featured a parade, a coronation of a festival queen and court and entertainment.
As a nod back to the 1929 festival, a second parade named the Firefighters’ Parade, draws participation from various fire companies on the East Coast. These departments exhibit both antique and state-of-the-art firefighting equipment. The Firefighters’ Parade is the nation’s oldest and largest parade of its kind.
Through the years, the festival’s parades have hosted its fair share of both local and national celebrities. The 1938 festival director, Tom Baldridge, had connections with MGM, securing the appearance of the movie studios stars. Celebrities that accepted the Grand Marshall role included Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Arthur Godfrey, Ed Sullivan, Van Johnson, Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr., Robert Wagner, Mary Tyler Moore, Katie Couric, Al Roker, Dan Aykroyd, Larry Hagman, Wayne Newton, Debbie Reynolds, Mario Lopez, and Scotty McCreery. Firefighter marshals included Tanya Tucker, Bill Anderson, Marty Stewart, Jimmy Dean, Brenda Lee, Larry Gatlin, Crystal Gayle and Rusty Wallace, with athletes such as Jack Dempsey, followed by Sammy Baugh, Whitey Ford, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Tony Dorsett, Dick Vitale, Mark Moseley, Red Auerbach, Frank Beamer, Bobby Allison, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Darrell Green and John Riggins.
This year’s celebrity guests are movie actress, television icon, and radio host, Marilu Henner and NASCAR’s Jeff Burton.
Today the Apple Blossom Festival offers more than 40 events to entertain attendees. From athletic and talent competitions to parades, concerts, fireworks shows, lunches, brunches, dance parties and arts and crafts shows, the event offers something for everyone. That is why it remains popular, according to Carper.
“The basic appeal of the Festival seems to be a large variety of events combined with a small town atmosphere,” he explained. “This is probably one of the largest festivals in the region, yet its setting is a relatively small town. That’s an attractive combination for a day trip or longer.”
The 2019 Festival begins Friday, April 26 and continues to Sunday, May 5.
“Some of the uniqueness of the Festival has to do again with the variety of events for every interest, but also its traditions of maintaining important free events so everyone can enjoy, plus the opportunity to see a celebrity- of which we have had many,” Carper said.
While the hotel rooms in a 30-mile radius tend to fill up quickly, there are a number of private RV parks to accommodate visitors who venture to the festival in their motorhomes or travel trailers. Carper said some of these RV parks offer transportation to the festival.
“We encourage visitors to check the internet, our local chambers of commerce, and local government sources,” he suggested. “But as you might imagine, space fills up quickly the nearer to the major downtown venues.”
From Carper’s point of view, there are many reasons to visit Winchester and enjoy the Apple Blossom Festival. First, it is accessible to people of varied interests and financial means. Second, it is unique in that it has many entertainment events with the small-town tradition Winchester is known for.
“Third, much of the work done to plan and put on the Festival is done by over a thousand volunteers simply because of their love for the Festival and our area,” Carper said. “It shows through their effort and their smiles.”
Winchester’s proximity to major highways and a regional airport are a fourth reason the festival has so much appeal. Four highways, including Interstate 81 traverse Winchester and Frederick County.
“Lastly, we genuinely welcome visitors and will be happy to help,” Carper added. ”Just walk up and ask a volunteer - including me.”
With the start of the 2019 event just days away, the Apple Blossom Festival Volunteers won’t have much time to rest.
“We will start working on the next Festival immediately after this one by reviewing the results and brainstorming over the summer to consider possible new events for 2020,” Carper explained. “It is truly a year-round effort but we love it. Yes, it is a lot of work but for the other volunteers and me, it is a real labor of love.”