BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Spring freezes devastated apple crops across parts of the Mid-Atlantic this year, but organizers of a 51-year-old West Virginia festival say its giant copper kettles will still be bubbling in October.
The Apple Butter Festival will return to Berkeley Springs, in Morgan County, Oct. 9–11, preserving a tradition in which volunteers cook apple butter over open fires in the center of the historic Eastern Panhandle spa town.
That tradition faced an unusual challenge this year, according to Happy Rone, executive director of the Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
Festival organizers say a late spring frost significantly damaged the apple crop, forcing community partners to work together to keep the apple-butter making alive. They have not said how they overcame the shortage.
The crop losses extended far beyond Berkeley Springs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture characterized a late-April freeze as causing catastrophic damage to perennial crops in West Virginia and 12 other states. The agency subsequently authorized emergency procedures specifically for apple growers affected in West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan.
Fruit growers in the region had already suffered serious damage earlier in April. Virginia Tech reported near-complete apple losses in some orchards around Winchester, Virginia, about 50 miles southeast of Berkeley Springs, following an April 8 freeze. Researchers examining several varieties found mortality approaching 100 percent in some blocks, although damage varied by location.
West Virginia growers also fought to protect vulnerable fruit. In nearby Hampshire County, one orchard operator reported tending about 1,200 small fires across 40 acres as temperatures fell as low as 21 degrees during the early-April cold.
Against that backdrop, the sight that has helped define autumn in Berkeley Springs for more than half a century is expected to return.
Copper kettles return to downtown
Volunteers from the Greenwood Community Center will again stir apple butter in large copper kettles over open fires, filling downtown with the aroma tied to festival weekend.
The tradition is part of an event that organizers say now draws tens of thousands of visitors to Berkeley Springs, a small Morgan County community in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
This year’s festival will also introduce its first Apple Butter Festival Trail 5K, scheduled Sunday morning at nearby Cacapon Resort State Park. A new Family Fun Zone will offer games and contests for children and adults.
Other longstanding events will return, including Saturday’s parade, the beard-and-mustache contest, hog calling, egg toss, and baking contest.
More than 200 artists and craftspeople are expected to fill downtown streets with traditional crafts, fine art, jewelry, pottery, woodworking, and other handmade goods. Live music will range from bluegrass and gospel to rockabilly and classic rock, while food vendors will offer everything from apple dumplings and funnel cakes to international dishes.
The festival begins Friday evening with a kickoff party at its beer, wine, and spirits garden, followed by two full days of activities Saturday and Sunday.
Admission to the festival is free. Organizers plan free shuttle service from designated parking areas, with additional parking available in lots operated by local civic organizations.
The Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce organizes the festival with support from volunteers, businesses, and community groups.
Rone says the chamber is excited to invite visitors to the county and festival despite the catastrophic harvest.
“Whether you’re driving from across the country or just across town, we hope you’ll come hungry, stay awhile, and enjoy everything that makes the Apple Butter Festival and Morgan County so special,” Rone said.
After a growing season that dealt a severe blow to orchards across the region, one familiar sign of autumn will nevertheless return to Berkeley Springs: apple butter simmering over open fires in the middle of town.