Family Traditions Rooted in Apples
The Apple Festival is a long time tradition in the small town of Murphysboro, Illinois. It is the oldest and largest festival in Southern Illinois and the Grand Parade is considered to be one of the best … it’s certainly the longest. I know … I’ve marched it many times in my life, most recently as a helper with Noodle’s Pom team!
The Apple Festival is also a long time tradition in my family. My Grandpa Raines’ side of my family has roots in and around Murphysboro that date to the early 19th century … about 130 years before the first Apple Festival … so we’re pretty tightly tied to the area we call home. Grandma and Grandpa Raines raised 5 kids – 3 of them stayed put and raised their families here and most of us (their kids) have done the same thing. Now that we’re all grown and spread thin, the Apple Festival is one of the few times a year when we’re all in the same place at the same time. It supersedes even Christmas for us.
When I was little, Grandpa would drive his horses and wagon … that he made … in the Grande Parade. He would collect all of us grand kids along the route and usually have a wagon full by the end. Then we’d all head to their small house for an afternoon of eating and running our parents a bit batty. Later, we would all be collected by a great uncle who was “in charge” of the fire trucks in the parade. Any way you look at it, we have all been in that parade more times than we can probably remember.
Now that Grandpa is gone, we all gather at my Uncle’s business … which just happens to be on the main street through town … prime real estate when it comes to parade watching! We start early with donuts and such, then break out TONS of food to munch on. Everybody brings something and none of it is left by the end of the nearly 3-hour parade! I should mention that friend and family of the family also attend this festivity. The more, the merrier. We’re all that way … welcoming friends and friends of friends with open arms. That’s the best part about this family. You’re family, period.
Of course, there’s more to the Apple Festival than this. There’s a huge craft fair that usually takes one of my paychecks; there’s the prince, princess, and queen contest; apple peeling and apple eating contests; rides; too much food; apples, apples and more apples everywhere! But, it’s that parade that makes it our tradition.
This year, we welcomed two new additions to the family and they both experienced their first Apple Festival this past weekend. I only wish Grandpa Raines was here to collect them along the way in his wagon. In some ways, he is, and the tradition lives on.
