For no particular reason, this past weekend it felt like fall had truly arrived. Perhaps it’s because the leaves are starting to change colors, perhaps it’s because of the autumn chill in the air, or perhaps it’s because we were in full-on fall mode with trips to the annual Apple-Scrapple Festival and the Parsons Fall Fest. The truth is, it’s a combination of all of the above and we are loving every minute of it (well, until it gets too cold to be outside that is). With a sunny weekend finally headed our way, we planned on dedicating last Saturday to the Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville and the Parson Farm Fest in Dagsboro. Fall fun ensued and we could not have asked for a more perfect fall day.
We’ll start with Apple Scrapple. Last week, we presented you with a crash course in scrapple and the annual festival, so by Saturday morning, we were eager to get to the festival grounds, and more specifically, to the food vendors. By 10:30am, traffic was already backed up as cars waited to get into the parking lot, which was a short, easy walk to the action. There were also school buses available to transport those who weren’t up for the walk. The festival takes place in the heart of Bridgeville, quite literally in fact as the vendors are set up along the streets in front of people’s homes. We knew there were over 500 vendors registered for the festival but it wasn’t until we arrived that we realized just how many vendors that was! Farm-fresh honey, baked goods, holiday decor, clothing, jewelry…you name it and it was for sale at Apple Scrapple. Of course, we were focused on the food, and boy did they deliver on the food. First up for us were scrapple sandwiches. Served simply and traditionally, the thick slabs of scrapple were tucked between two slices of white bread. Yep, that’s it, no muss or fuss. Jelly, syrup, ketchup and hot sauce were available to dress your sandwich however you please. Also available were hot dogs, pizza, oyster sandwiches, crab cakes, burgers, BBQ, chicken on a stick, funnel cakes…pretty much all of your favorite carnival/fair foods. We were thrilled to see our friends from The Frozen Farmer there in their food truck, and even more thrilled to see they were offering warm apple dumplings topped with their farm-fresh vanilla ice cream! With a few kiddos in tow, we were happy to see so many kid-friendly activities, including the rides! We could go on and on about our love for this festival, but we’ll let the pictures and your own experiences do the talking. Hope to see you all there next year!
Up next on our agenda was the Parson Fall Fest. Pumpkins, goats, bounce houses, a petting zoo, fresh farm produce, more gourds than we even knew existed, hayrides…this event had it all, and for all ages too. We went a little overboard on the pumpkin purchases (see below) but it was well worth it. In addition to their annual Fall Fest, Parson Farms Produce is open daily for pumpkin picking, with animals available to pet as well. They are also hosting a Pumpkin Patch Movie Night (It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown) this Saturday at 7pm, followed by Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 24 at 6pm. Of course there are plenty of other pumpkin patches to visit across Delmarva, just be sure to support one of our local farmers!
Fall adventures abound this time of year, and we are just getting started. Oktoberfest in Berlin, O.C.toberfest in Ocean City, the Sea Witch Festival in Rehoboth, trick-or-treating ALL over…we better refuel on some more of those scrapple sandwiches;)
