By Barbara Arnstein
The 52nd annual Busti Apple Festival will take place this year on Saturday and Sunday, September 26th and 27th, from 10am-5pm each day. Every vendor will offer at least one apple-themed item and two hundred handmade pies will be available for sale, either in the form of slices or the entire pie. The Busti Cider Mill will sell bags of apples and gallons of cider. There are many activities for children, including playing old-fashioned games, and learning how to milk a cow. Old-time craft demonstrators will be demonstrating basket weaving, leatherworking, woodworking and more. The festival’s location on the grounds of the Busti Historical Society in Jamestown allows guests to visit a restored 1839 Grist Mill, one of only a few working mills remaining in the Northeast. Flour, buckwheat and corn meal ground at the mill will be available for sale. The sales at the Country Store, which is filled with handmade crafts and food items, benefit the Busti Historical Society. It has homemade breads and cookies, jams, jellies and more. Visitors are encouraged to wear Colonial or Victorian-inspired costumes. Joni Blackman, the Director of the Busti Historical Society, said, “The tour guides are in costume, and so is the person running the woodworking bench. There will be handmade quilt items that are just beautiful. The foods available will include a variety of sandwiches, ice cream, pizza and snacks, and a huge variety of drinks. The Jamestown Rifle Club will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers”. Brad Buck, the Board President, commented “We added more vendor space for artisan, commercial and non-profit groups in order to bring more of our communities together. Something new this year is a schedule of events, which include Civil War drills”. Fun Facts: The mill will be running throughout the festival and educational tours will be available. The campus has a museum about Busti history with several interactive exhibits for children.
The Festival will be at 3443 Lawson Road in Jamestown, NY. Admission is $5 (cash) but $5.50 for those who pay with a credit card. Children under 12 are admitted free. Visitors should use the free parking lot. There is a shuttle to move guests to and from the parking lot, (which was donated for the event by Mr. Buck). No pets are allowed. Certified service animals must have papers. For more information, go to: facebook.com/bustihistoricalsociety and busti-historical-society.weebly.com.