Published: September 26, 2008 10:08 am         

Covington readies for annual Apple Fest

COVINGTON, Ind. — Good food, original crafts, antique cars and a stage loaded with entertainment already are mainstays of the annual Covington Apple Fest.

This year, the festival also will bring local, vintage art to life with an exhibit at the Fountain County Clerk’s Building.

“We did an art show years ago but we’ve never highlighted local artists from the past,” said Carol Freese, president of the Fountain County Art Council.

Freese hatched the idea as she was going through some literature about historic art clubs in Fountain County.

“I knew I had some Ethel Casey paintings so I thought ‘Why not feature some of them?’ It’s a different approach from anything we’ve done before,” she said. In addition to Casey, the art council plans to feature art work by Eugene Savage, Mary Bowman DeHaven and Firma Phillips.

“Most of them (the paintings) are from the 1920s to the ’60s,” Freese said.

The paintings will be shown inside the historic Clerk’s Building on 516 Fourth St. Weather permitting, Veedersburg artist Jane Spencer and others will paint outside on the lawn, dressed in historic garb. The art council will conduct a silent auction in a booth on the square, featuring jewelry, antiques, carved gourds, a hand-painted china tea set, photographs, and a painting by Casey.

Other highlights of the Apple Fest include a pancake breakfast, tours of the courthouse murals, a car, truck and motorcycle show, a Little Miss Apple of Your Eye and Johnny Appleseed contest and a dunk tank raising money for the Covington High School football team.

Amy Wright, secretary of the Covington Business Association and co-chair of the Apple Fest, said the number of vendor booths has held steady from last year, totaling about 100. This year, festival goers will have an extra hour to browse the booths and enjoy the entertainment on the stage outside Old National Bank, since the event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.

“In the past we’ve run it from 9 to 4, but we decided to give it an hour longer, especially so people from Illinois would make it over here,” Wright said.

The 18th annual Apple Fest will mark the debut of Richard Holmes as the master of ceremonies. He is succeeding Lennie Smail, who’s run the show for the past 15-plus years. Wright said Covington Mayor Brad Crain and Councilman Dale White will honor Smail during the Apple Fest’s opening ceremony.

“We’re basically dedicating the Apple Fest to him and thanking him for all of his years of service,” she said.

The Covington Business Association has no way of knowing exactly how many people visit the Apple Fest, but last year’s guesstimate landed right around 5,000. This year, some other events in the area have seen their numbers shrink due to high gas prices, but Wright is optimistic and hopes people have just been saving up to come to the Apple Fest. “It seems like this is the event everybody looks forward to. All the college kids seem to come home for it,” she said. “I think this and the Fourth of July Celebration are the most important events of the year for us.”

APPLE FEST

-- OCT. 3

7-10 p.m. EDT: Highway 341 Band.

-- OCT. 4

7-10 a.m. Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT: Booths open around the square; vintage art show and sketch club reenactment at the Fountain County Clerk’s Building.

10-10:45 a.m.: Johnny Appleseed and Little Miss Apple of Your Eye Contest.

11-11:30 a.m.: Nancy Orr and Marlea Crain.

11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Joni Cundiff.

12:30-1 p.m.: Katie Krout.

1 p.m.: Tours of courthouse murals.

1:15-1:45 p.m.: Rick Randles and Chris Taylor.

2 p.m. Winners of car, truck and motorcycle show announced.

2-2:30 p.m.: Lyndsey Atwood.

2:45-3:45 p.m.: Patchwork String Band.

4-5 p.m.: Forgiven with Mary Phillips, Susie Woolwine and Susan Smaltz.

For more information, call the Covington Business Association at (765) 793-4500.