Apple Blossom Festival

by | Apr 25, 2018 | Things to Do, Travel

For The Last 98 Years…

The Village of Manson has gathered together on this weekend to celebrate the apple blossoms and the coming of spring. Once upon a time, farmers would drive their tractors through the orchards and couples would dance together by the water’s edge. 

Things have changed a lot since then. Today the festival is four days long, starting on Thursday, May 10th with art show in Allisons downtown. Everyone will see the Apple Blossom Queen, Alyssa LaMar, be crowned on Friday evening. A huge street fair and parade will follow on Saturday morning.

It is one of those events I grew up with as a local. Every mother’s day weekend we would pack up our chairs and line the streets to watch the parade. My grandmother would enter the quilt show. My mom would enter one of the cooking competitions. As a child, I was always excited to see the royalty dancing on their float and the vendors who were selling Cotton Candy.

Even with the entire town present for the event, there is never really any traffic compared to city parades. It is still a local secret for now. Other towns have been copying our Apple Blossom for decades now — and who could blame them? But none of them can say they’ve been doing it this long.

I also want to give a big congratulations to our 2018 royalty!

Dear Queen Alyssa LaMar, Princess Diocelina Cervantes, Princess Adeleine Torgesen, and Princess Celina Mendoza,

Thank you all for being such wonderful role models for our town. Thank you for your community service efforts and endless optimism. You are all bright women who will do wonderful things during your reign as royalty and onward as you enter the world as educated adults.

I’ll be at the parade again this year! Even as an adult, I can’t imagine missing this festival. Hopefully, there will be plenty of amazing pictures to post. If you’re lucky enough to be there, be sure to say hello if you see me!