Onalaska Set to Celebrates 10 Years of Apple Harvest Festival Fun

Ten years ago, the Onalaska Alliance had an idea for a festival they hoped would bring their community recognition, camaraderie and a chance to celebrate what makes Onalaska great.

Looking back on the first Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival, Cathy Murphy, chair of the Onalaska Alliance board of directors, said the event started as just one day and a handful of activities but they inspired the community to continue to grow the festival. Today, Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival is a full weekend of events that includes everything from cornhole tournaments and fun runs to opportunities to learn about Onalaska’s aquaculture program and farming community.

“It’s a family festival,” Murphy said. “It was definitely created around families but I want the experience to have that feel of connecting to what we are as a community. I think there’s something about families that are raised in a rural lifestyle that’s about an independent spirit. You have to have grit, but people here are also really connected to and love this land.”

Onalaska Alliance is the sponsoring organization but the full weekend of events is possible through the work of many local groups that take on specific pieces of the overall festival. An example of some of the community partnerships include: apple pie contests by Jackson Prairie Church; cider pressing by Onalaska High School football; bingo by the royal court; trout fishing by the Onalaska High School Aquaculture class; Kidventure by the PTSA; quilt show by Heavenly Quilts and Fabrics Redeemed; and an all-church service by the local church pastors.

“There’s lots of partnerships,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the Saturday parade is always a highlight of Apple Harvest Festival for her. In light of recent controversy in Centralia over throwing candy at parades and children’s safety, Murphy said the Onalaska Alliance board made the decision to allow candy to be thrown this year, but there will be a greater emphasis on doing so with young paradegoers’ safety in mind. For instance, parade participants are being asked to throw candy further from the sides of their floats and volunteers will be patrolling to help keep the parade route safe for little ones.

“We want to keep that excitement level out there but we want to keep everyone safe,” Murphy said.

Other popular events during the weekend swing more toward those with a competitive side. The Fun Run & Walk Saturday morning and the canoe and kayak races at Carlisle Lake have been popular from the beginning. The more recently added cornhole tournament was a hit last year. And the alumni basketball game Saturday night is always a draw, with the women playing first at 6 p.m. followed by the male players in the high school gym.

“It’s great just to see everybody who went to school here coming back on that weekend,” Murphy said of the alumni game. “It’s like a family reunion.”

Back this year on Sunday is the self-guided farm tour as well as the farm to table dinner at the Mason Jar Event Center. Murphy said the two events, which were added last year, were so popular they knew they had to offer them again. 

An estimated 400 people participated in last year’s farm tour. This year, nine farms will be featured on the tour: Snowy Pines Bernese Mountain Dogs; MT Ranch; Wells Winery; J. Foss Gardens; Premium Quality Hay and Feed; Lacamas Lodge; Onalaska Log Building School; Burnt Ridge Nursery; and Salkum Gardens. In addition, five vendors will be featured guests at certain stops: Jackson Highway Vet Clinic (Snowy Pines); Cowlitz Lavender Company (at MT Ranch); BeeWrangler Honey (at Wells Winery); Black Sheep Creamery (at J. Foss); and Farrier Jesse Wilson (at Premium Quality Hay and Feed).

“We’re really proud of our farm tour,” Murphy said. “You get a really authentic experience of what a real working farm is like.”

The farm tour is free, although a suggested donation of $5 per car load is requested. Donate $20 or more and receive a free commemorative tote bag. Participants can start at any of the tour locations, but Murphy said the easiest place to start is at the Information Booth at the Mason Jar event center, which will be open between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. No matter where you start the tour, Murphy suggests that those participating in the tour look at the lineup and decide on three to four farms they would like to see since visiting all nine in one afternoon is not really possible.

“You’d have to have a pretty fast pace to get to all of the farms,” Murphy said. 

The Farm to Table Dinner at the Mason Jar event center is a perfect way to cap off an afternoon of touring the agricultural highlights of Onalaska. As of Chronicle press time there were only a handful of tickets remaining to the $60 per person dinner. Murphy said she did not believe it was likely they would have tickets available at the door, so anyone wanting to attend is strongly encouraged to purchase advance tickets through the Onalaska Alliance website.

If You Go …

What: Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival

When: Oct. 4-7

Schedule:

Thursday Oct. 4

6-8 p.m. Royal Court Bingo, Onalaska Elementary Gym

Friday, Oct. 5

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Quilt Show, Community Presbyterian Church of Onalaska

6 p.m. – Royal Court Coronation, Onalaska Elementary Gym (court will be introduced at half-time of the high school football game)

Saturday, Oct. 6

7:30 a.m. – Registration opens for Apple Harvest Festival Fun Run & Walk. Kids 1 mile begins at 8 a.m., 5K fun run begins at 9 a.m. Registration is $20 for 5K, $10 for 2K and kids 12 and younger. To register, go to: www.facebook.com/OnalaskaWashingtonAppleFunRunWalk/

8-10 a.m. – Pancake breakfast, $5 per person or $15 per family

9:30 a.m. – entries accepted for Apple Pie Contest at corner of Carlisle and 4th Ave. Each entrant needs to bring two pies and $2 entry fee. Pie auction begins at 1:20 p.m. Pie eating contest is at 3 p.m.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Welcome booth and farm and market vendors open 

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Quilt Show, Community Presbyterian Church of Onalaska

10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – food court and busker stage open

11 a.m. – Apple Harvest parade. Staging begins at 10 a.m. 

Noon-4 p.m. – Fire station safety and health displays, Kidventure, Giant Trout Fishing and Apple Cider pressing

1 p.m. – Cornhole Tournament (registration at noon), Onalaska High School. Registration is $40 for two-person team

2 p.m. – Canoe & Kayak Races, Carlisle Lake

6 p.m. – Alumni basketball game, Onalaska High School gym. Women play at 6 p.m., men’s game to follow

7 p.m. – The Mason Jar Event featuring Straight Shot, 637 Leonard Road. Entry is $7 per person

Sunday, Oct. 7 

10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – All-area church service and potluck, Elementary school gym

Noon-4 p.m. – Farm & Homestead Tour. Self-guided tour. Tour maps available at www.onalaskaalliance.org. Suggested donation of $5 per car load. Donate $20 or more and receive a commemorative tote bag

5-8 p.m. – Farm to Table Dinner, The Mason Jar. Cost is $60 per person. This event is expected to sell out so advance ticket purchase is strongly suggested. Tickets are available at www.onalaskaalliance.org

Unless otherwise noted, most events at Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival take place along Carlisle Avenue. For more information on specific events, go to www.onalaskaalliance.org/apple-harvest-festival.html.