The Jackson County Apple Festival was first celebrated in 1937 as a way to bring rural and city residents together, to give former residents a reason to return for a visit and to promote Jackson County’s leading industries to outsiders…

…where an emphasis was given to apples.

At the time, there were more than 40 farmers in the area who sold apples commercially, but things have dramatically changed since those days and, starting in 2013, even the Jackson County Apple Festival changed…

…into the Jackson Apple Festival.

The festival took place in the downtown area…

…where the apple’s role in the community was remembered through business names…

…fantastic window displays…

…and the apple water tower floating in the distance.

Along with the festival info booth…

…which happened to sell apples…

…your best bet of apple products was along the central rows of booths…

…where local organizations offered apple cake (Christ United)…

…apple fudge (Jackson Presbyterian)…

…apple fritters (Jackson Rotary Club)…

…apple butter, apple pies (Christian Life Academy/Elevate Ministries)…

…and a plethora of apple-ness that included an apple chipotle meatball sub (Church of the King).

Other organizations, such as the Elks and Lions, sold additional grub…

…gave out free water (Calvary United Methodist)…

…and informed festival goers via politics…

…history…

…and some good ole bowhunting (Jackson Bowhunters).

Festival goers could find entertainment through music…

…an upcoming parade signaled by the placement of hundreds of folding chairs…

…rides scattered around downtown…

…and more games than I could count.

But I also felt that the quantity of amusement games and concessions actually overpowered the local charm of the festival…

…especially with some vendors selling non-apple-esque carnival-type merchandise.

Fortunately, on the positive side…

…even the concessions sold apple products.

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