In 1982, Anna Steinkraus and a handful of her fellow apple-growers brainstormed about the best way to showcase the area’s diverse agricultural bounty and at the same time, boost traffic for businesses on the Ithaca Commons and surrounding streets.
The result was the Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival and now, 35 years later, Steinkraus, of Littletree Orchards in Newfield, will continue the tradition of making her renown apple cider doughnuts at the event, set for Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1.
Steinkraus has not missed a year since its start. She and her family will have two doughnut robot machines on site to meet the demand for thousands of the tasty treats that sell out as quickly as they are made.
“My mom wishes she could remember the names of all of the people who were instrumental in getting the festival started,” said Amara Steinkraus, a second-generation family member who works full-time at the orchard. “As president of the board of directors of the Ithaca Farmers’ Market and co-owner of Littletree Orchards my mother was involved with and supported this endeavor from the beginning.”
The seed of that original idea has blossomed into one of the Finger Lakes’ premiere fall attractions. It brings more than 35,000 visitors to the Commons annually to savor the culinary cornucopia and other attractions unique to Ithaca that go far beyond the apples that initiated the original celebration.
“It’s three fun-filled days of apples, local produce, fresh baked goods, family entertainment, games, prizes and live performances on two stage,” said Tatiana Sy, special events coordinator for the Ithaca Downtown Alliance, which organizes the festival. “It’s a great introduction to the farms and artists in Ithaca and its surrounding farming communities.”
Sy said first time visitors can witness a variety of local entertainment while strolling Ithaca’s Commons,The pedestrian mall is the epicenter of the festival, with more than 100
vendors selling dozens of apple varieties, kettle corn, local farm fresh baked goods and a multitude of around the world specialties.
“Local farmers are on site selling everything from tasty apple beverages to local pumpkins and of course, apples, apples and more apples,” Sy said. “Wineries and cideries have regional beverages available for tasting and purchase. Attendees can shop and eat at not only the outdoor areas, but also check out our local offering all over downtown Ithaca.”
Kids can visit with the goats and learn how fiber is made with Laughing Goat Fiber Farm.The Tompkins Trust Company Family Fun Zone will be located in the Center Ithaca Lobby all three days. There will be free crafts and games available while supplies last each day.
The festival also includes a fall craft show where 50 different handcrafting artisans set up along Cayuga Street featuring jewelry, ceramics, home decor, body care, specialty gifts, sculpture, clothing and much more.
Rennie Sandsted of Baker’s Acres in East Lansing figures her orchard has been represented at the apple festival for at least the past 25 years. She’s usually so busy with her more than 20 bushels of six different apple varieties in her booth that she doesn’t often get out to see the crafts, but she knows they, as well as the variety of food, are a big draw.
“The food is amazing; there is a lot of food to eat.There is entertainment and a kids carnival. We like the festival because it’s a lot of fun,” Sandsted said. “People are in a great mood and they are ready to dive into fall apples and cider. We push a lot of apples at the festival. It’s tradition. It brings downtown Ithaca alive.”
Cornell University usually uses the Apple Fest to introduce new apple varieties to the public, she said. The most popular varieties, however, are pretty standard.
“Honey Crisp, Cortlands, Galas and Empires,” Sandsted said.
But for the Steinkrauses, who like most of the orchard represented at the festival also sellapples and other apple products, it’s all about the doughnuts.
“We sell the doughnuts at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market and at the orchard,” said Amara Steinkraus. “But for some reason people are just crazy for them at the apple festival. It’s something in the atmosphere. People wait in line. We go from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is always a line because they must have them now.”
It Started with the Iroquois
Although it’s the festival’s 35th anniversary, in reality, agricultural celebrations in the Finger Lakes have been going on for hundreds of years likely beginning with the Iroquois, who looked to nature for the best reason to throw a party.
The History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schulyer Counties, published in 1879 explains “it was the custom of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, to hold festivals to commemorate the different seasons of the year, which were named variously ‘Thanks to the Maple,’ ‘Planting Festival,’ ‘Berry Festival,’ ‘Green Corn Festival,’ ‘Harvest Festival,’ and ‘New Year’s Jubilee.’ These festivals lasted several days and were conducted with great ceremony.”
Included in the history was an except from Wentworth Greenhalgh’s 1677 journal: “From generation to generation, these festivals have been observed on the same seasons … on the shore of the Cayuga, and the several villages of the Seneca. Before the voice of the white man was heard in these peaceful and secluded retreats of the forest, that of the Indians have lifted up to the Great Spirit in thanksgiving and praise. The origins of these festivals are lost, as well as the date and location of their institution, but the Iroquois believe they have been observed among them at least since the beginning of the Confederacy.”
Also mentioned: “where Tagnagic Creek empties out into Tiohero (Cayuga) Lake, the Indians had built a small town and were growing corn, beans and potatoes, and also they hadapple trees.”
Read more of this history at http://tinyurl.com/yagvobtm
New at the 2017 Apple Harvest Festival
Science Cabaret will be presenting a special edition of its monthly event on the Apple Harvest stage on Sunday, Oct. 1. https://www.facebook.com/ScienceCabaret/ In collaboration with Cider Week FLX, Science Cabaret is hosting an evening all about apples, ciders, agriculture and stories.
Meet the makers begins at 6 p.m. with a cider happy hour. Try a glass of cider from a Finger Lakes cider maker. Cash bar. Then at 7 p.m., enjoy an evening of storytelling with cider maker Elizabeth Ryan of Breezy Hill Orchard in New York’s Hudson Valley. Ryan is a renowned fruit grower and cider maker. She has studied cider making in Somerset and Hereford in England and holds a degree in pomology from Cornell University. Her first barrel of cider was made while a student in 1980. As a keynote speaker at the NY State Governor’s Alcohol Summit, she helped promote policy that supports small-scale hard cider production.
Cider Tasting Salon
The Downtown Alliance is partnering with the New York State Cider Association this year to create a tasting salon inside the event space in the Marriott on the Ithaca Commons. There will be 40 minute sessions running from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Oct. 1 that are free to the public. There is an advance RSVP link on the downtownithaca.com website and a few walk up spots held open for each session pending availability. Monks, the restaurant inside the hotel is making food pairing and there will be 10 cideries present for this tasting experience. They are: Black Diamond, Blue Toad Cidery, Embark Craft Cider, Empire Cider, Eve’s Cidery, Kite & String (formerly Good Life), Lake Drum Cidery, Rootstock Cidery, South Hill and Star Cider. •
