By Steve Wilcox Special to West Washington County Directory

After taking a year off because its former home base in the community building on the Lincoln Square was deemed unsafe due to structural issues , the Lincoln Apple Festival is back for 2024 with a new home : the great outdoors . Plans are taking shape to take down the old community building and build a new facility .

“ In 2010 , the city took over the festival from a volunteer committee ,” said Deanna Morris- O ’ Brien , secretary for the group . “ But the time came when the city wanted to step out from

managing the festival , and the plan was to not have the festival .”

The Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln Masonic Lodge have joined forces to resurrect the annual program . Morris-O ’ Brien , who owns the Appletown Store in town and is a member of the Chamber , was part of a merchant and civic organization group that decided the festival needed to return in 2024 .

“ We started calling people who had a vested interest in the festival , either as a business owner or a founding member organization ,” said Morris- O ’ Brien . “ We got the schools involved because the festival does affect them heavily .” The city opted to let the reconstituted committee take over the annual program . “ The city of

Lincoln is going to help us because they ’ ve been running the festival so long ,” she said . “ It takes a lot of people to run the electric and the water , plus trash pickup . These are things that our new committee is not prepared to immediately take over .”

The city of Lincoln remains involved in the project because there ’ s a realization by everyone regarding how important this one event is to a small town . Decisions are being made about how to restrict the area around the old community building that is being torn down that still allows a three-day festival to take place in its shadow .

“ We can ’ t be within so many feet of the fencing . Along with being a new board , we ’ re tasked with having to find a new way to have everything around the Lincoln square ,” said Morris- O ’ Brien . “ The vendor booths weren ’ t out in the street around the square before , but this year we ’ re going to have to do that .”

The festival team is using a computer program to outline the design of the physical area , including making provisions for a parade to take place on one side of the square .

“ The festival is not going to look the same ,” she said . “ It ’ s a new board with new ideas , new things that we would like to do . The city ’ s working with us , the builder for the community building is working with us . The schools , the local businesses , civic organizations , and even the homeowners benefit from the apple festival . Everyone is involved ; if it doesn ’ t happen it affects the whole town .”

For most of the nonprofits and civic organizations in

Lincoln , the festival is the biggest fundraiser throughout the year . Some 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the event scheduled for Oct . 4-6 .

“ Every dollar that the festival generates goes back into the schools ,” said Morris-O ’ Brien . “ None of the money is kept , it ’ s just passed along .” The money goes toward post-secondary education scholarships .

Although the festival was cancelled in 2023 , a youth pageant did take place . A local woman with experience in setting up and running pageants came forward offering to manage the Lincoln effort in 2024 .

The selections during the October weekend range from apples , apple butter and apple dumplings to a variety of food trucks along with handmade crafts and gifts . Every local group is represented , from baseball teams and their boosters parking cars to school groups selling baked goods . Savvy Lincoln homeowners time their yard and garage sales to take place that weekend .

“ The decision to not have the festival last year was disappointing for a lot of people . I own a business in town and I was new , so I had no idea the effect not having this would have ,” said Morris-O ’ Brien . “ When the festival is on , I do as much business in those three days as I do in a month . It ’ s huge , what it does for our town .”

So , if you ’ re planning your fall agenda now , the Lincoln Apple Festival is back in business . There ’ s something for everyone on a crisp day with the leaves coming down and just a touch of cool in the air . Don ’ t miss it – especially if you like apples … and who doesn ’ t ?