Spread out in colorful booths all over the tree-shaded park and through the quaint streets of town, more than 200 vendors offer everything from traditional crafts and antiques to home canned goods and mountain cooking. There’s a farmer’s market section for locally grown and regional produce.  West Virginia wineries have their own tasting row.

Traditional and contemporary arts and crafts fill Berkeley Springs State Park. Just down the street, the Morgan Arts Council’s Ice House art center has a gallery exhibit and sale of one-of-a-kind items from the most popular artists in this nationally recognized art town. More than a dozen galleries, bookstores and gift shops along the park and main street join in the festivities with specials of their own.

Everyone eats at the Apple Butter Festival. There are sides of beef, whole hogs and thirty feet of grills packed with chicken-halves all roasted over open fires. Apple dumplings and funnel cakes lead the list of sweet tooth satisfiers. Pepperoni rolls, bean soup, country ham sandwiches and onion blooms are festival favorites too. More than half a dozen downtown restaurants have special treats to lure festival goers inside.

Click here for vendor information or call 1-800-447-8797.

OFFICIAL FESTIVAL MEMORABILIA

The producing Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce offers a line of festival wearables including tee shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and hats all bearing Apple Butter Festival logos. There are also “official” magnets featuring local scenes and a commemorative program — nearly 100 pages of photographs, history, feature stories and schedule of festival activities.   All are on sale beforehand at the Visitors Center and during the festival at the Apple Butter Festival “store” as you enter the park.

 

OFFICIAL APPLE BUTTER FESTIVAL QUILT

Every year since 1978, a quilt is specially made to be chanced off as the final event of the festival on Sunday afternoon.  The quilt makes its debut each year in May at the annual Quilt Show and Sale at the Ice House.  Chances are available from then on.  On festival weekend, the quilt hangs at the entrance to the park and chances are sold for $1.

APPLE BUTTER QUILT IS A BIG ONE

Mary Roach returns for a third year as the maker of the official quilt for 2018’s Apple Butter Festival in Berkeley Springs. The quilt, “Floral Seasons,” has been on display at various locations since spring.

Mary started making the traditional pattern – a square in a square for this third quilt. “I kept making squares,” said Mary. “It got really big.” Mary’s quilt grew from being a queen size to a king size. Mary chose fabric that reminded her of different seasons and then an array of colors to reflect each – cream, greens and coral. “I like alternating colors, light and dark,” she said.

Mary completed the quilt top in a month and then fellow quilt guild member Mickie Sienko did the elaborate machine quilting.

“I like to sew. I like to do my own thing, Mary said. Although she comes from a family of sewers and made her own clothes for years, Roach did not begin quilting until 2002. “It was on my bucket list,” she said. A friend helped her learn and then in 2008 she met Cheryl Rink and joined the Delectable Mountains Quilters. Her skills expanded dramatically. “I’ve learned so much from the other quilters and the group’s classes.” Quilting has proven to be an ideal form for her. Mary produced 13 quilts between January and the quilt show in May.

Mary Roach feels especially attached to the Apple Butter Festival. “We first discovered Berkeley Springs at the festival,” she said. She and her husband followed up on that discovery and retired to western Morgan County from Baltimore.

Folks line up through the festival to purchase chances on Mary’s quilt. The drawing is the final official activity of the festival late Sunday afternoon and always generates lots of interest.

The Apple Butter Quilt is sponsored by Coldwell Banker Premier Homes.

For more information about Apple Butter Festival, contact:

Chamber of Commerce
127 Fairfax St.
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
304-258-3738
chamber@archive.berkeleysprings.com