(4/19) South Mountain Fairgrounds in Adams County, Pennsylvania will be the site of the 52nd Annual Apple Blossom Festival to be held on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6, 2007.

Highlights of this year’s festival include: live entertainment from the Carroll County Cloggers, Mexican Club Dancers, Apple Core Band, Bob Plunkert & Real Country, Borderline, and Green Mountain Porch Pickers; free orchard bus tours, hundreds of arts and craft demonstrations and sales, wagon rides, agricultural exhibits and the presentation of the 2007 Pennsylvania Apple Queen. Children’s activities include: free apple pie eating and apple bobbing contests, petting zoo, pony rides, puppet shows, and magic shows.

On Saturday, there will be a special general admission concert (1-3 p.m.) featuring, Cheap Sneakers, a local classic rock band. Judging of the apple queen contestants will take place Sunday, May 6 at 11:30 a.m. with crowning of the Pennsylvania Apple Queen is at 2:30 p.m.

The Apple Blossom Festival is held annually at the South Mountain Fairgrounds, located 10 miles northwest of historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Route 234, near Arendtsville, PA. The fairground is situated in the middle of scenic Adams County’s 20,000 acres of orchards – apple, peach and cherry trees, which are usually in full bloom during festival week. The festival gates will be open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day. Parking is free.

Adams County Fruit Growers, who produce over seven million bushels of apples each year, would like to invite you to view, enjoy and learn about their apple industry through the free orchard tours. Attractions, both days, promise to delight both young and old and include: a display of antique cars and antique gas hit-miss-engines, free entertainment, and many top quality crafters. A wide variety of food will be available, including many apple products such as: fresh apples, cider, apple butter, apple crisp, dumplings and pies. A chicken barbecue will be available both days, plus homemade scrapple, country sausage, pit beef and funnel cakes.

You could spend an entire day at the festival or include side trips to local attractions such as: the National Apple Museum, the Historic Round Barn, or the Adams County Winery. You may also wish to visit our many farm markets throughout the area, such as Hollabaugh Bros., Boyer Nurseries & Orchards or Peters Orchards. If you wish to spend a weekend in Adams County, you could include a visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park.

The Apple Blossom Festival is sponsored by the Adams County Fruit Growers Association. For further information, contact: Sandy Spence, Adams County Fruit Growers Association, 33 Musselman Ave., Biglerville, PA 17307 (717) 677-7444 or E-mail acfga@comcast.net.