The term “Big Apple” started out in the 1920s as racetrack slang for winning a jackpot, but it was jazz musicians in the decades that followed who made it a nickname for New York that stuck. If you got a steady gig in the City that Never Sleeps, you’d plucked that apple, made it to the big time. It was thus mere coincidence, but most appropriate, that Manhattan is technically where the Hudson Valley ends, and that the Hudson Valley has been a major apple-growing region for centuries. And nowadays, in early autumn, it’s a magnet for day-trippers who want to sink their teeth into the fabled fruit that tempted Adam and Eve, Atalanta and Isaac Newton.
A week or two before the leaf-peepers begin to converge on our region, orchards and farmstands are already jumping with visitors who want to pick their own bag of apples or take home a gorgeous handmade pie. That’s when the Reformed Church of New Paltz has, for more than a quarter-century, been hosting an annual apple festival, known for a decade now as Applestock. It was back this past Saturday under summerlike skies, bigger and juicier than ever. “It’s a beautiful day,” said Karyn Morehouse, who runs the raffle sales and information booth. “There were a lot of people finding us for the first time, which was good.”
Longtime festival organizer Nancy Owen also seemed pleased with the growth of Applestock. “We had ten more vendors this year,” she noted, among them fabric art from Garland Grace Studio and Emma’s Garden and original watercolor cards, bookmarks and framed art from Tuesday Bee. Browsers along the closed section of Huguenot Street could purchase handmade jellies and jewelry, laser art and unusual gifts of wood and metal. The Sand Art tent expanded its offerings for kids this year, said Owen: “You could paint with squirt guns.”
Children’s activities had been downplayed at Applestock in the years since the COVID pandemic, but they came back with a bang in 2025: “We used to have them, and then they fell by the wayside,” Owen recalled. This year there were not one but two storytelling stations for little ones, with the Huguenot Street Cooperative Nursery School presenting a morning storytime with local authors Julie DeLeo and Barbara Neumann and ongoing readings by members of Kappa Delta Phi NAS. The sorority also took charge of a kids’ activities area on the church grounds, featuring an apple craft, pumpkin-painting and Lego-building.
Musical fun for all ages was provided all day, with They Like Rum, Afternoon Delight, Sirens and the Big Blue Big Band performing on the front stoop of the church building. Across the street in the Wullschleger Education Building, the Twice Blessed thrift shop was open for extended hours. Local craft beers, wines and sangría were for sale in a big tent on the church grounds, and a food tent dispensed a tasty array of lunch treats, including the justly famous apple fritters made and sold by students from New Paltz High School, National Honor Society members and other community volunteers. Scouts from Troop 172 in New Paltz directed visitors where to park and assisted with setup and breakdown.
Applestock is always a joyful community gathering, but its big draw is the mountain of fresh apple pies on sale. Since COVID forced the festival to downscale to a preorder/pickup tent in 2020, many wise consumers have learned to reserve their purchases online – and this year, although more pies were baked than ever, they had the right idea: “We were sold out by 2:30,” reported Linda Apuzzo, who has run the piemaking crew since 2022. “We sold a total of 223 pies: 99 double-crust, 80 crumble and 40 pumpkin.”
The massive baking project went on from Monday through Friday, relying entirely on volunteer labor. “We had at least 35 people in and out of the kitchen.” And where do all those apples (Cortlands this year, a superior variety for baking) come from? “Rod Dressel,” said Apuzzo. “Dressel Farms donate both apples and cider. They have always supported our apples.”
Want to get involved in the piemaking marathon next year? You don’t need to be a Reformed Church parishioner. “We can always use more people. Get in touch in September,” Apuzzo said. Inquiries can be directed to RCNPApplestock@gmail.com.
Join the family! 
