ALFRED — Apples, music, apples, crafts, apples – and apple pie.

The Shaker Hill Apple Festival is this coming weekend, during which Friends of Alfred Shaker Museum, York County Shelter Programs, Giles Family Farm and the Brothers of Christian Instruction come together to celebrate all things apple.

With meteorologists forecasting sunny skies and cooler, fall-like temperatures, it should be the perfect time to pick some apples, or get a head start on holiday shopping at the festival’s 60-vendor craft fair.

For those who would like a run before they take in the festival, the 5k Apple Dash, with a $10 registration fee, steps off from Shaker Hill at 9 a.m.

The apples festival opens at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Alfred Shaker Museum will be open for demonstrations of Shaker skills and wagon tours, and will be selling apple pie. There will be children’s games and a seafood raffle, and the museum and gift shop will be open for tours and sales.

Giles Family Farm’s Notre Dame Orchard will be open to pickers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, there will be cider doughnuts and wagon rides.

The Brothers of Christian Instruction, the teaching order which moved to the former Shaker community in 1931, will host a history of Shaker Hill.

Both “The Brothers,” as they’re affectionately known, York County Shelter Programs and the Friends of Alfred Shaker Museum will host yard sales – appealing to those in search of a great find.

York County Shelter Programs plans a kid zone, a silent auction, crafters tables, a pig raffle, food – and entertainment.

In addition to Gorka’s Saturday performance, The Jason Spooner Duo will perform that day as well, with Jonas Woods set to play on Sunday. Other performers include M.J. Brink, local dance groups, and a special performance for kids featuring The Silver Mailita.

“This event has continued to grow each and every year, bringing in thousands of people throughout the weekend and all of us are thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm on display,” said York County Shelter Programs spokesman Lucas Labbe.

While for YCSP the event is a fundraiser, Labbe said it’s more.

“The Apple Festival is more than an event that raises money for our programs, it’s more about bringing the community together and sharing the ways in which YCSP is working to make our community a stronger, more caring place for us all to live and raise our families,” he said.

Alfred Shaker Museum, Giles Family Farm, “The Brothers,” and YCSP have worked together to host the apple festival for the last several years.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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