3 minute read
Looking ahead to festival fun
Looking ahead to festival fun
Apple Blossom Festival brings in summer in the Annapolis Valley
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by Suzanne Rent
RCMP Band marches in the Grand Street Parade
Logan Morse says the planning for the 87th Apple Blossom Festival got started about a month after the 86th edition wrapped up in 2018. Morse, who’s the president of the Apple Blossom Festival, says attendees to this year’s festival can expect the tradition, fun and some new and refreshing twists on events Apple Blossom Festivals have offered.
Morse says he’s also looking forward to good weather.
“I just want sunshine,” Morse says. “Sunshine makes everyone smile and things go smoother. I know when Apple Blossom time comes, it means I’m getting ready for summer.”
Town crier Lloyd Smith provides greetings at coronation
Morse joined the board of directors of the festival in 2016 and this year has taken on the role of president. He says he’s glad to have the opportunity to give back to the community as a volunteer.
“I thought I would have something to offer,” Morse says. “It’s been really fun to be part of. It’s a small gesture that keeps me linked to the Valley. That sense of home is always with me.”
Morse says with new leadership at the helm of the festival, the group is always working on new ideas or giving a fresh look to events the festival hosted in previous years.
The Carnival for Kids will return again this year, after making its debut at the festival in 2018. Morse says the organizers created that event as a way to keep guests entertained between the Children’s Parade and the Grand Street Parade. The Carnival for Kids includes face painting, bouncy castles, food trucks, a petting zoo and more.
As well, the organizers brought back the Antique Car Show and Barbecue in Berwick.
“That exceeded our expectations last year,” Morse says. “We hope to exceed that this year. It’s a good wrap up to the end of festival weekend.”
Another new event making its return is the Blossom Food Truck Party in New Minas. Food trucks from around the province will be on site for a party with music and more.
And finally, Morse says the 89.3 K-Rock Birthday Bash in Memorial Park in Kentville will be a good time. There will be live entertainment that will wrap up with the Apple Blossom fireworks.
MLA Leo Glavine and Courtney Garland, Queen Annapolisa 85th, crown Kendra Whitehead, Queen Annapolisa 86th.
Of course, visitors to the Valley will have a chance to see the leadership candidates in local communities and then at the coronation.
Morse says while he grew up and lives in a small town, the Apple Blossom Festival attracts large crowds.
“It’s a surprise how many people come out from around the province and outside the province for the Apple Blossom Festival,” Morse says.
Morse says many people who visit the Annapolis Valley during Apple Blossom Festival often come back. The provincial visitor information centres open for Apple Blossom weekend, so people have a chance to pick up literature and learn about what’s happening in the Valley the rest of the season.
“It does have a spinoff effect,” Morse says. Morse grew up in Centreville and now lives in Kentville. He remembers the Apple Blossom Festival when he was a kid. He marched in the Grand Street Parade several times, including when he was a cadet. He remembers the three-kilometre walk, often in the heat of the early summer.
“It can be a long, exhausting day, but at the end of it, you think, ‘Wow, what a good time,’” Morse says.
Morse says the Apple Blossom Festival also inspires people from around the Valley.
“We see everyone come together as one during the festival,” Morse says. “People really have a sense of community pride in the festival as a whole. It really is a coming home for friends who want to get together.”
