What an Apple Festival it was in Gays Mills last weekend. Were you there? You should’ve been—the weather was perfect and so were the apples.
As usual, there was plenty to do besides buying apples in the orchards. On Main Street, in the park and at the fairgrounds there were hundreds of vendors with goods and food for all. There were carnival rides in Lions Park and a commuter bus to move people around.
Both bars featured entertainment and, of course, there was plenty of beer available. The Societies Sons Motorcycle Club also had some entertainment and, yes, more beer.
Then, there was the parade. It had a little of everything from the American Legion color guard to the Mt. Sterling and Utica Church float to the Blackhawk Riding Club horses at the end of the parade. There were also a half dozen high school bands and much, much more.
However, the buzz of the parade and maybe all of the 2014 Apple Festival was the drone that appeared during the parade. Yes, a small remotely controlled drone aircraft complete with video camera taking pictures of the whole event from above.
“Did you see the drone?” was the buzz on Main Street Sunday afternoon. Contrary to some rumors, the drone was not the work of some nefarious domestic spy agency. Far from it in fact, the drone was under the control of longtime Gays Mills resident Marilyn McManamy’s grandson-in-law Andrew Mulholland, a rather creative real estate agent from Rochester, Minnesota.
Andy, as he’s sometimes known, actually used video footage from the drone and other video footage to produce a rather impressive six-minute video on the weekend festival, which can be viewed on You Tube.
If you’re interested in seeing this unique video, titled ‘Gays Mills, WI Applefest - An Annual Fall Celebration’ on You Tube, here’s the link you’ll need to enter on your computer http://youtu.be/lqDrpaI_1UI
In addition to the parade, the video features, the carnival, the flea market and few scenes of the countryside.
A drone? Yes, there was indeed a drone at the Gays Mills Apple Festival Parade.
So, how did the orchards do selling apples and more in their salesrooms? Pretty well, it would seem.
“It was our best day ever,” Kickapoo’s Julie Meyer said of Saturday.
On Sunday morning, workers at the Kickapoo Orchard were busy filling bags with apples at the rear of the salesroom to restock bins that had been depleted the previous day.
It was much the same story at other orchards. The Gays Mills Pace Club reported brisk business at their craft show in the old highway department garage. Things looked to be coming alive late Sunday morning at the flea market on the fairgrounds, as well.
Local groups appeared to be selling plenty of food at their respective stands including the Gays Mills Lions Club, the Sportsmen’s Club and the Ocooch Mountain rescue not to mention the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the American Legion, the Kickapoo Exchange Food Co-op and a few others.
