How 'bout them apples
The Chamber of Commerce’s Johnny Appleseed Days is an historical event involving the entire community. The 133 year history is rich with legend and myth, surrounding both the earliest beginnings of the fair as well as its namesake. As the legend goes, in the inaugural year, a
feisty group of Ladies of the Temperance Society took over the lone local saloon, rolled the building across the street on logs, renamed it “Community Hall” and went on to host the very first “harvest” festival on this site. Over the years, the event turned into what could be called the County Fair and the community fought hard to make it official. Due to the lack of access to the ridge, they ultimately lost out to Gridley. As for the namesake, it too is rich in a mixture of history turned myth. Johnny Appleseed, known far and wide as the larger-than-life figure, was actually born John Chapman on September 26, 1774. Although the legendary character of “Johnny Appleseed” is known chiefly through fiction, John Chapman was a genuine and dedicated professional nurseryman. He is best known for helping prepare the way for 19th-century pioneers by supplying apple-tree nursery stock. He sold or gave away thousands of seedlings to pioneers, whose acres of productive apple orchards became a living memorial to Chapman’s missionary zeal. Paradise’s Johnny Appleseed Days also serves as a living celebration of John Chapman, a long lost historical character. The festival itself consists of the gathering of Northstate residents and the sharing of
WRITTEN BY KEVIN DOLAN
The Paradise Chamber of Commerce is hosting Johnny Applesead Days on October 2nd and 3rd, marking this event as the oldest harvest festival in California. Understandably, it all began with the apples. If they could tell their story, it would consist of the sunshine that smiled upon them, the winds that whispered to them, the birds that sang around them, the storms that visited, and the motherly tree that held and fed them until their petals unfolded. The first was held in 1888, the “Fair” as it was known then. The welcoming community, like the fruit, wanted to tell their story. It would consist of genuine love and gratitude for the ever present and protective trees, the elevation with its rewards of cooler temps and the guarantee of four seasons, and the core of a community spirit with the courage and compassion to survive. The 2021 fall festival will celebrate Paradise's community spirit, along with the coveted orchard heritage, with apple pie and ice cream. It anticipates a crowd of 5,000 over two days.
