Mars set to celebrate 39th annual edition of storied Applefest
A special fall event in the quaint town of Mars has brought local residents and visitors from all over the region together over a shared love of apples for nearly four decades.
Each year during the first Saturday of October, thousands of people and around 150 specialty vendors descend on downtown for Mars Applefest to celebrate the beginning of fall.
“It’s a longstanding tradition,” said Brian Fleeson, who serves as the event’s chairman. “Each year we try to grow it a little bit more. Turnout and participation tend to be based on weather. We’ve had some pretty good weather over the last couple of years, so that seems to be convincing people to come check things out.”
This year’s event will be held rain or shine on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are both free and a shuttle will be available for overflow parking at Vogel Disposal parking lot, 121 Brickyard Road, Mars.
In addition to the extensive list of craft and food vendors, the Mars Farmers Market will stay open longer and the John E. Mair Masonic Lodge will serve a pancake breakfast for $8 a person from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
There will also be face paintings for children and the opportunity for families to take photos at the apple orchard photo booth in the Town Square. In years past, a stage was set up with live music, but organizers of the event have switched that out for a DJ so there would be more space to accommodate the crowd.
“It’s extremely good for residents and businesses that are able to hook our town up with visitors, friends and family all to come and enjoy the day together in our town,” said Mars Borough Mayor Gregg Hartung. “People really enjoy themselves. Hopefully we have good weather for it.”
The event has had several main sponsors in its history. Rich-Mar Rotary Club has been the event’s main sponsor since 2010.
Vendors pay $100 to reserve a spot along the downtown streets and the club then utilizes that collection of fees, typically around $15,000, to support more than a dozen local charities that request funds throughout the year.
“It’s just bringing the money in and sending it right back out,” said Harry Austin, who is a member of the Rich-Mar Rotary Club and serves as a media director for Applefest.
He also noted that the list of hopeful vendors has grown exponentially over the years, so much so that the club has a wait list that it cannot fully accommodate.
“There’s always different vendors,” Austin said. “We have what I’d call our core vendors like the food trucks, but there’s always something new to discover from our vendor clientele. We don’t seek out the vendors. They seek out Applefest. We still have a waitlist on vendors for this year.”
The local businesses that line the streets in and around Mars are also prime beneficiaries of the longtime event.
“What I’ve heard from several businesses through the years is that on one Applefest day, they can probably make two or three weeks' income in one day,” Hartung said. “So if you take in almost a months’ income just with one day of activity, that’s just great for small businesses.”
The Rich-Mar Rotary Satellite Club is also collecting socks for the local charities and nonperishable food items for North Hills Cares. Attendees are encouraged to support those efforts and can bring their donations to the Rotary-Applefest Headquarters Tent in front of NexTier Bank.
