Apple Country USA

Southwest Wisconsin is one of the most beautiful parts of the country to live in, of course I am biased in my opinion of this, but we have amazing rolling hills, lush, colorful country side and we are very well known for our apple orchards.

Growing up, we always looked forward to that first bite of a fresh apple, picked off the tree in the fall. One of my first jobs was working at one of the orchards bagging apples.  

People come from all over and drive hundreds of miles to get their trunks full of fresh apples, apple pie, apple donuts, apple cider, and all the fun fall items that go with them. It is always crazy busy on the weekends.

Every fall, our local town also has a celebration and yes, of course, it is called the Apple Festival. Over 10,000 people come to celebrate this weekend, which is full of so many things to do.  Our small town of 700 people looks forward to seeing old classmates, having class reunions, and meeting new friends. It is a wonderful time and lots of fun is had by all.

For many years, one of the main events for Apple Festival was the choosing of the Apple Fest Queen. High school junior girls could try out for this honor, and if selected, they would represent our town in all the local parades, events, and speaking engagements. In 1984, I decided I would try out for this title. We had to go through an interview process, hosted by several different leaders in the community, and they asked a lot of questions. I remember one question was asking me what I was planning to do as a career. My answer was I was going to Marquette University to be a dentist. Oh, how things change when you look at the curriculum to become a dentist. No, I am not a dentist, but yes, I was the Gays Mills Applefest Queen that year. What a fun time I had representing our small town in so many different events. I will not make you look at a picture of my big 80's hair and big green dress with one of the biggest hoop skirts, personally made by my mother!

Fall is fun! If you are close to Wisconsin, come grab some of the best apples, stop in at the Happy Trail Farm for some fresh apple pie, enjoy a sunflower or corn maze, and most importantly spend time with the ones that you love.

As I head out today to pick a vast amount of tomatoes to start the canning process, I am grabbing an apple donut to keep me going! 

FlagsRUs has so many options to choose from for fall decorating that I cannot choose one. There are apple flags, sunflower mailbox covers, and a host of other products to fit everyone's taste!  Time to get shopping!