Fun for all ages at Saturday’s Apple Festival

Published September 12, 2019

NORTH READING — The 25th annual Apple Festival, a highlight on everyone’s fall calendar, is this Saturday, September 14 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Rev. Daniel Putnam House grounds, 27 Bow St., across from the town common. The rain date is Sunday, September 15.

The North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society event is the fall staple that brings together dozens of local organizations and thousands of residents to celebrate the best of North Reading.

New Shoe and Tine Shop

The event will feature free tours of the many historic buildings, including the Putnam House, Damon Tavern, Flint House and the West Village School. Be sure to also check out the First Meeting House, the barn, the new Shoe and Tine Shop, and the Farm Museum on the grounds as well.

“The North Reading Minitmen proudly open our latest renovation project in time for the Apple Fest. The Shoe and Tine Shop will display a colonial shoemaker’s workbench, shoe making equipment from the late 1800s, and also a selection of sheet metal tools to be demonstrated by a skilled workman,” commented Minitman Roy Walters.

He invites the community to visit their shop and learn about life in colonial North Reading where many farmers spent their winters making shoes.

“We are proud to complete another addition to the collections of buildings on display,” Walters said.

Food and beverages will be provided courtesy of the Minit and Militia of North Reading, including burgers and hotdogs on the grill. Proceeds from refreshment sales help fund their many renovation projects.

Kids’s games, art raffle, auction

There will be pony rides and plenty of children’s games to keep the little ones entertained.

Be sure to check out the original, signed artwork on display inside the West Village Schoolhouse donated to the society by local artists for either the art raffle or the silent auction. Donated artwork will remain on display at the library until Friday afternoon. Bids and raffle tickets will be sold until the drawing, typically held at 2 p.m., one hour before the end of the festival.

Local entertainment

As always, musical, dancing and martial arts performances will be a big part of the day’s festivities. The entertainment schedule is as follows:

• North Reading High School Band— 10:15 to 10:40 a.m.

• NOTEorious— 10:45 to 11:10 a.m.

• Preston and Betsy Lydotes—11:15 to 11:40 a.m.

• Senior Echoes—11:40 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

• Master Shin Marshal Arts Institute—12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.

• Art Grossman— 12:50 p.m. to 1:20 p.m.

• Aldersgate UMC Praise Band—1:25 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

• North Reading School of Ballet—1:50 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.

Vendors and non-profit booths

Many wares will be available for sale from local vendors, including Historical Society merchandise and local artists. Nonprofit community groups will also be on hand to provide information about their organizations.

Vendors, as of press time, include the following: Commonwealth Wealth Management: Paul Adams; artist Louise Anderson; Freedom Jewelry (Frank and Ellie Botta); Diana Bruno (fribbits- bean bag frogs and accessories); Ruth Burke (www.sewruthie.com); Teresa Capela (handmade doll clothes, bags, aprons) ; Linda Evans (fabric items such as storybook pillows, eyeglass and cell phone cases; Friends of the Council of Aging; Friends of the Flint Memorial Library; Like a Princess; Jane Hudgins and Miriam Morales (beaded earrings, bracelets, decorative items); Kathy Hudson (embroidered linens, fleece hats, mittens, scarves); Ipswich River Community Chorus; Ipswich River Watershed Association; Sue Locke (craft items); Pampered Chef (Barbara Mann);

As well as NORCAM, Inc.; NR Boy Scouts; NR Cub Scouts; NR Girl Scouts; NR Food Pantry HOME Fund (Birdhouse Silent Auction preview); NR Republican Town Committee; Order of Eastern Star, Mt. Carmel Eastern Star chapter; Deck the Fridge (Sandy Panico); Pauline’s Trendy Totes (Pauline Viens); Knit One Sew 2 (Maureen Pritzker); Representative Brad Jones Jr.; Sound Play!; Rachelle Toth (upcycled accessories made from juice pouches and other items), and Trinity Evangelical Church.

Who makes the best apple pie?

The highlight of the day is always the annual apple pie contest. All pie entries are compared for appearance, texture and taste by a panel of judges in blind competition. Judging will begin at 11 a.m. This year’s judges will be Art Gonsalves, Steve O’Leary and Daniel Putnam III.

Official Classic Apple Pie contest rules:

1. Contest is open to North Reading residents only.

2. Youth entrants must be between 12 and 17 years of age.

3. Adults entrants must be 18 years of age or older.

4. Pies must be made from scratch. Top and bottom crusts required. No crumb crusts. No nuts, raisins, cranberries, or other fruits allowed.

5. Pies must be at room temperature.

6. Lattice pastry work, decorative cutouts and decorations with food coloring and/or sugars are permitted.

7. Attach a 3” x 5” card to the bottom of the pie plate stating the entrant’s name, address, phone number, and age. Adults only have to indicate they are over 18.

8. Deliver pies to the Rev. Daniel Putnam House, 27 Bow St. between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 (Rain date: Sept. 15.)

9. If using a non-disposable pie plate, make a notation on the 3” x 5” card that it is to be returned. Plates must be picked up by 3 p.m. that day.

Immediately after the announcement of the winners and the runners-up at noon, there will be a presentation of ribbons and awards. The pies will then be sliced up and served, either plain or a la mode with ice cream from Richardson’s Dairy, for a nominal fee.

Hundreds of festival-goers eager to sample the fruits of the fall harvest line up to sample the contest pies alongside dozens of other freshly baked donated pies made especially for the 25th Apple Festival by many individuals and groups, including a group of unofficial “friends of the Putnam House,” led by Gloria Mastro, who anticipate baking over 20 pies at the high school kitchen on Friday. Additionally, six apple pies are being donated by Mann Orchard and five are being donated by Farmland in Wakefield.

The North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization and all proceeds raised at the Apple Festival, which is its largest fundraiser of the year, will benefit the preservation of local historical buildings and antiquities by the society.

Those with any questions may contact Ginny Mills via cell phone at 978-857-6138, email apple@nreadinghistory.org or mail: North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society, c/o Apple Festival, Artists, P.O. Box 354, North Reading, MA 01864.