This weekend marks the 81st Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival and I can't wait! This town has been putting on the festival since 1924. There was a few years break during WWII but, other than that, it's been a great festival for the entire community. My first festival was in 1985. Robert Wagner was the Grand Marshall. I still remember how hot he looked! Since then, I can remember Joan Rivers being here one year but most of the celebrities have been on the lower end of the fame scale. Back in the day they had Bob Hope and Lucile Ball. This year, the Grand Marshall is Fantasia Barrino! I can't believe they got some one from this decade! Last year it was Wayne Newton. Jerry Rice is going to be here as well. Another person from this decade! Click here for a complete list.

Here's Wayne from last year.

What is the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival?

According to the web site: "[It's]A series of more than thirty events includes: band competitions, dances, parades, the Clyde Beatty - Cole Bros Circus, a 10K Race, the Coronation of Queen Shenandoah, Firefighters' events, and celebrities. The Festival is an event the whole family can enjoy.

The Festival is held in Winchester - Frederick County Virginia, in the beautiful and historic Northern Shenandoah Valley, just 75 miles west of Washington, D.C. A small city with a rural atmosphere, Winchester is within easy driving time from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA, Baltimore, MD and Richmond, VA. Crowds in excess of 250,000 attend the Festival each year."

What it is to me is a time to eat, drink, be WAY too merry, and run into old friends. Ever since my first Apple Blossom, I have drank way too much and ate way too much. Now that we live downtown, it's even better! No driving AT ALL! Our parade seats are still 3 blocks away. My goal is to live on the parade route one day. Here's what most of the houses look lie on the parade route.

The town is divided into two groups. There are those who head for the hills and avoid Apple Blossom at all costs. Then there are the ones, like me, that dive into the shallow end head first on Friday and don't come up for air until Sunday or Monday. Here's a picture of me from last year. I think I was already on my 5th drink by then.

Here's a little taste of how many people show up at this thing. First, this is a picture I took last year about 2 weeks before Apple Blossom.



This is a picture taken from almost the same spot on Apple Blossom Friday last year.



Here are some random picture from the parades.











I'll post this year pictures quicker then I did last year's pictures.

ETA: This year, the festival is trying something new. They added a Wine and Art Festival this past weekend on the downtown mall. There was a band set up across from our apartment Saturday. Here's a pic of my husband enjoy the wine festival in his bathrobe!!