(Photo by Ana Cotta)
Ever think about why New York City is known as the Big Apple? It may be the apotheosis of all cities, but it’s also the gateway to the Hudson Valley, and steals a bit of its thunder from us. There’s no single symbol that captures the spirit of the Valley more succinctly than that jolly red orb whose harvest is peaking right about now.
Sited as it is in the very heart of orchard country, New Paltz could easily lay claim to the moniker of the Little Apple; and what better place to enjoy the fruit that tastes like the crisp, spicy air of autumn itself? On Saturday, October 5, the Dutch Reformed Church of New Paltz hosts its annual Huguenot Street Apple Festival and Craft Fair: a down-home affair that brings out all the locals for a day of old-fashioned small-town fun – not to mention homemade apple pies. Admission and parking are both free.
The Craft Fair associated with the Apple Festival is the genuine article: a juried handicrafts show and sale, with no mass-manufactured goods allowed. Besides food, crafts and all things apple-y, the Festival features live entertainment and plenty of games and activities for kids to burn off that apple pie sugar buzz during its 10 a.m.-to-4 p.m. run.
A hop, skip and a jump away, on the lawn next to the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) will be holding a Library Book Sale, also from 10 to 4. The variety of books available will lean toward such subject areas as history, genealogy and architecture. Proceeds from the sale will support the Schoonmaker Research Library at HHS.
In conjunction with the Apple Festival, HHS will also be offering special self-guided tours of the newly restored Abraham “Abe” Hasbrouck Museum House, located across from the church, for just $5. Regular $16 90-minute guided tours will depart from the Visitor Center at 10 and 11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3: p.m.
The Reformed Church is located at 92 Huguenot Street and the DuBois Fort at 81 Huguenot Street. Just look for the white canopies scattered among the historic stone houses. For more information, call (845) 255-8950 or (845) 255-6340 or e-mail reformedchurchofnewpaltz@verizon.net.
Huguenot Street Apple Festival & Craft Fair/Historic Huguenot Street Library Book Sale, Saturday, October 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Huguenot Street, New Paltz; (845) 255-8950, (845) 255-6340, reformedchurchofnewpaltz@verizon.net.