The Friends of the Beaverdams Church are celebrating fall in style with the return of their annual Applefest — and this year’s edition will be bigger, better, and even more delicious than ever.
“It's going to be just a great day up there,” says Friends member Donna Cowan. “We’re featuring a little family photo booth with Pioneer costumes. We're going to have some special artisans and we're going to have apple pies and tarts for sale from the Niagara Food Company. So I think it should be kind of fun.”
Now that the restoration of the church is complete, the Friends group wants to use Applefest to show off the property.
“We used to just sell the pies during the pandemic, but now that we've got the interior all completed, we can be inside as well as outside,” says Cowan. “So people can come in and see how nice it is inside and how it lends itself to events and then we'll have some activities outside as well.”
The Friends group is currently fundraising to build a walkway to their recently installed washroom.
“It needs to be graded and so on,” Cowan says. “It's kept accessible, but it needs a proper wooden walkway. So that's what we're raising funds for.”
To reach their fundraising goal, the Friends group is also putting on a benefit concert with Performance on Point on October 5th.
“That is a group of young singers directed by Tanya Hagenberg,” says Cowan. “She is a professional musician herself and she has this studio of young talent and they're wonderful. I was up there for the rehearsal a couple of weeks ago. Oh my goodness, they're fabulous.”
Cowan says the concert will be a magical evening.
“It shows how the acoustics are so good in that room because you don't even need a mic,” she says. “The sound just soars in there. They're going to be doing all kinds of love songs from The Beatles to Disney numbers to Andrew Lloyd Webber numbers. It's all things that everybody can enjoy.”
To get the church ready for its fall events, the Thorold Flying Dragons Squadron will prepare the grounds this weekend.
“We had them in the spring and we're going to have them again,” says Cowan. “They enjoyed themselves so much the last time that their leader agreed without hesitation to come this time. So they're going to help us.”
Engaging the local youth is quintessential to the survival of the church, according to Cowan.
“Down the road it's going to have to be handed off and it would be nice if young people knew what this building is used for, its history and what it can be used for in the future because it's a great little venue for small weddings, for small groups like family groups,” she says.
One thing’s for certain: Cowan is already counting down the days to Applefest.
“Last year, it was a total success,” she says. “The vendors were really pleased with the response so we're hoping we'll get the same this year.”
Applefest is taking place at Beaverdams Church on Marlatts Road on Saturday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Performance on Point will perform at the church on Saturday, October 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be bought at Print Three on Sullivan Avenue, or by calling 905-227-7556.
