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The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival ("The Bloom") is a six-day festival held annually in spring in Winchester, Virginia. First held in 1924, it is one of the oldest civic celebrations in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The festival was first held Saturday, May 3, 1924, and was originally celebrated as a one-day event (although not held in 1942–1945 due to World War II). [1] Features include a Grand Feature Parade, Firefighters' Parade (first held on Thursday, April 18, 1929), a carnival and midway, luncheons, races, walks, dances and concerts, as well as a field show competition which formerly gave out the Queen's Cup trophy to the winner (although the trophy was retired in 1977, by Princess Anne High School of Virginia Beach, Virginia after winning the competition three straight years). The Queen, Queen Shenandoah, has been crowned every year at John Handley High School (with the exception of 2007, due to ongoing renovations), starting with the original Queen, Elizabeth Steck (Arthur).
A loss of interest during the 1930s, prompted the appointment of Tom Baldridge to the seat of Executive Director of the festival. He was also employed at MGM in the publicity department, which allowed him the opportunity to schedule celebrities, in turn renewing public interest in the festival. The period of the 1960s and 1970s introduced various new aspects to the festival including: the first visit by a U.S. President, Lyndon B. Johnson (1964), the beginning of attendance by sports celebrities Jack Dempsey (1965), and the premier of Sunday in the Park (1975). The Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars, still a favorite of children, first appeared at the festival in 1981.
The festival is run by the private Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival organization and attracts over 250,000 people. Highlights include the Old Town Wine & Fine Arts Festival and the Apple Blossom Carnival. [2]
The festival is known for its many guest celebrities and events. During the spring, in preparation for the festival, the citizens of Winchester hold an annual clean-up, followed by decoration of the city in green, pink and white (festival colors), in order to make Winchester more presentable for its anticipated guests.
On March 17, 2020 it was announced that planning for the 2020 festival was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively cancelling the event for that year.
The festival was held in 2021 with the theme “Back in Bloom.” Offering 21 events, this 2021 festival was condensed when compared with earlier instances of the festival, which generally presented more than twice that number of events. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were in place for the 2021 festival, such as the requirement that a maximum of 900 people attend the Apple Blossom Carnival at any one time. [3]
Winchester is an independent city located in the northern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester with surrounding Frederick County for statistical purposes. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 26,203. As of 2019, its population is an estimated 28,078.
Moomba is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. The Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labour Day long weekend, from Friday to the second Monday in March. Moomba is culturally important to Melbourne, having been celebrated since 1955, and regularly attracts up to a million people, with a record attendance of 3.8 million set in 2018.
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The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region. It includes three separate parades, along with a number of other activities.
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The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival is a festival held annually in Wenatchee, Washington from the last weekend in April to the first weekend in May. The festival, first held in 1920, has grown from a one-day event to an eleven-day affair including a carnival, golf tournament, food fair, multiple parades, an arts and crafts fair, entertainment on a stage in Memorial Park, and other amusements.
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Caitlin Brunell from Great Falls, Virginia won the Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008 title in August 2007. In 2014, she was crowned Miss Alabama and represented the state at the Miss America 2015 competition where she was a Top Ten semi-finalist and the Quality of Life Award winner.
The Jackson County Apple Festival is an annual festival dedicated to the apple held in Jackson, Ohio, United States. The festival was created to promote Jackson County's leading agricultural product, which at the time was grown by over forty farms in the area.
The Kentucky Apple Festival is an annual festival held in Paintsville, Kentucky during the first Friday and Saturday in October. The festival was originally created in 1962 as a way to provide a market for the county's apple production. In 2021 the Apple Festival has been replaced by the Paintsville Autumn Festival due to indifference with city officials and Apple Festival Committee members.
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