Cashmere Museum's Apple Harvest Days bounces back

If apples are bouncing at picking time you’re either dropping them or successfully unloading a heavy, brimming picking bag into a bin. The bounce-back of the Cashmere Museum’s annual event certainly will be a nod to the latter, returning unblemished and ready to celebrate this year’s harvest.

The Cashmere Museum's largest fundraiser gets underway this weekend with the 26th annual Apple Harvest Days. The event, which is typically held the first weekend in October, returns after a 2-year hiatus to celebrate the bountiful Upper Valley apple harvest.

The festival’s Apple Days name was altered to add ‘Harvest’ this year. Museum Directory Nicky Clennon said “We will likely transition to change the name next year to Harvest Days to better represent our community since apples are just one of the many wonderful crops harvested here in the fall. We wanted to keep “apple” in the title this year so that people would correlate this year’s celebration to the Apple Days the museum hosted pre-pandemic.”

The family fun celebration will be held on Saturday, October 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m at the Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village; 600 Cotlets Way, Cashmere. Join in this opportunity for the community to engage with neighbors and celebrate tradition.

But wait, don’t forget the pie! Enter your pie in the Apple Harvest Days Pie Contest, sponsored by Apple Annie’s Antique Gallery, to find out if you make the best apple pie in town. There will be a youth category for 18 and under, an adult category, and senior category for 60+. First Place cash prize is $50 and Second Place cash prize is $25. Bring your pie to the Cashmere Museum & Pioneer Village on Friday September 30, between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. to enter. Three judges will taste each pie on Friday night, and winners will be announced the next day at Apple Harvest Days, Saturday October 1. The pies will be displayed in the Museum lobby in the morning. Bakers can pick up their pies to take home after the winners are announced. Email the museum pie coordinators at info@cashmeremuseum.org or call 509-782-3230 with any questions.

Apple Days explores the past and brings neighbors together. Children, adults and faux pioneers will gather to see exhibits, demonstrations, submit a chance to win a uniquely hand-stitched quilt, and sway along to some music. Lois Tate, and the ladies at the Friends of Old Mission created a queen size quilt of Cashmere Mountain to raffle for the benefit of the Cashmere Museum & Pioneer Village. Raffle tickets are $1 each and can be pre-purchased at the museum and at the event. The winner will be announced on October 1 at Apple Harvest Days (need not be present to win). The Museum extended a huge thanks to the Friends of Old Mission for their beautiful work and endless support.

Carly Schoening will be opening the day by singing the National Anthem at 9:00 a.m. and will perform from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. after the announcement of the Apple Pie Contest winners. Enjoy the folksy tunes of Corban Welter for his set that starts at 10 - 11:30 a.m.- a great way to kick off a day of family fun. Mariachi Huenachi will perform in the afternoon from 1:15 - 2:15 p.m., Prairie Girls’ play from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m., and the CHS Jazz Band will close out the day performing from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

There will also be dance performances performed by Parque Padrinos Folkloric Dancers, a traditional dance troupe from Wenatchee. They will perform from 11:30 - 12:15 p.m., and a show by the Wenatchee Youth Circus from 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.

Traditional family-favorites like gold-panning, free face painting, and pony rides are scheduled to return to the Pioneer Village. The Cashmere Public Library will be holding story time in the School House and Mr. Whiskers will be creating free balloon animals and the kids game corner will be back. All are welcome to sip sarsaparilla soda in the Saloon, and to explore the freshly spruced log cabins. The museum will be open inside to view their new displays, kiosk, and gift shop. The cost is $5.00 per person over the age of 3, and kids under 3 are free. The Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village invite you to rediscover the time and place that inspires our village of now.