Downtown Stuart will welcome more than 100 vendors on Saturday, Oct. 17, as the 25th annual Apple Dumpling Festival returns with food, crafts and activities for children.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Patrick Avenue closed from the dry bridge in downtown Stuart to the stoplight to accommodate vendors and visitors.
Stuart Town Manager Bryce Simmons said vendors will be set up along the street and in the parking lot.
“We have had to cut off registrations at this point because we are getting full. It’s going to be a wide array. We’re going to have food vendors, craft vendors, sort of the same sort of vendors that we see on a regular basis at our Strawberry Festival and a lot of returning vendors from our Apple Dumpling Festivals. We’re obviously looking forward to that,” Simmons said.
Unlike previous years, the festival will not feature live music.
“Because we were short-staffed and waiting for our new Community Coordinator to start, we didn’t have a chance to get music scheduled this year. So that will be a change, but we do anticipate bringing that back in future festivals. It was purely a short staffing issue,” Simmons said.
A bounce house and other activities for children will be available at the Farmers’ Market, and festivalgoers also can look forward to the event’s popular apple dumplings.
Simmons said attendance will depend on the weather, but he expects a strong turnout.
“This is a rain or shine event, so . Assuming that the weather is good we could anticipate upward of 4,000 to 5,000 people,” he said.
The festivities will begin earlier in the day with the Apple Dumpling Festival 5K, hosted by the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce and the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA).
The race will begin at 8 a.m. along the Mayo River Rail Trail, with registration opening at 7 a.m.
Registration costs $30. Preregistered participants are guaranteed a T-shirt, while shirts will be available to other participants as supplies last.
Proceeds will benefit DRBA’s trail development efforts in Patrick County.
To register for the 5K, contact the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce at 276-694-6012 or [email protected].
