Molalla Pioneer

Apple Festival returns Oct. 13 for 38th year

• By: Pioneer Staff 
• Published: 10/9/2012 5:21:56 PM

Photo By: Bethany MonroeFile photo
Caleb Kirk of Marquam Meadows Fruit Company sells apples at last year's Apple Festival at the Molalla Museum Complex.

Molalla’s 38th annual Apple Festival is set for Saturday, Oct. 13, featuring an apple pie contest, vendors, live music, historical demonstrations and more at the Molalla Museum Complex from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Molalla Area Historical Society hosts the event and admission is free. Homemade apple pie and ice cream, jellies, fudge, caramel apples and more will be offered for sale. The event is one of the museum’s major fundraisers of the year and proceeds will go toward restoration and preservation of the buildings, while also helping the Historical Society qualify for grant funding.

Vendors will offer handmade specialty items and volunteers will demonstrate historic crafts, butter making and cider pressing. To enter the pie baking contest, deliver a homemade apple pie to the contest booth at the museum by 11 a.m. Saturday. Judging begins at noon.

The day’s music lineup will feature Chris and Virgil at 10 a.m. with 19th and early 20th century songs, followed by folk and country music at 11 a.m. by Steve Boss. At noon, the band Free Range will play their Americana-themed music, featuring guitar, fiddle, mandolin and drums. The Fiddlesticks will play their old-timey fiddle tunes at 1 p.m. and Abiqua Strings will provide classical music at 2 p.m.

From about 2:35 to 3 p.m., the player piano recently given to the Historical Society will be showcased. The piano can play nearly 200 scrolls of music, ranging from the World War I period to the 1950s. Wrapping up the day’s music will be Dennis Stafford, Colton’s Redneck Artist, singing country western songs accompanied by his guitar.

The Molalla Museum Complex will be open for touring and includes the historic Dibble House, the Vonder Ahe house, Ivor Davies Hall, a summer kitchen, a large tool shed and an accessible restroom.

The tool shed contains many antique farm and logging implements, including a horse pulled harvester, fanning mills, a water wagon rebuilt by the Dibbles from their original Conestoga wagon that crossed the prairies to Oregon, and much more. The Historical Society hopes to restore the tool shed in 2013, installing a concrete floor and doors to enclose the structure when not in use.

The Dibble House was built between 1856 and 1859 for Oregon Trail pioneers Horace and Julia Dibble. It is the oldest house in Clackamas County, south of Oregon City, according to the Historical Society, and is furnished with donations from the Dibble descendants and many local Molalla area families.

The Vonder Ahe House was moved to the Museum Complex in 1972 and is an early farm house, built in 1865. It was not only a family home, but also a stopover point for the stagecoach that ran between Salem and Portland. It contains displays of textile crafts, historic portraits, a photo display of old Molalla, and a new display of Oregon Trail artifacts from the Baty family. It also houses the Museum Store, library and historical archives.

Ivor Davies Hall was built from the salvaged architectural elements of the old Molalla Union High School, built in 1925 and razed in 1995 after earthquake damage. It also contains displays of Native American artifacts, a schoolroom, Wilhoit Springs resort displays, the early 20th century toys of Ivor Davies, an antique telephone collection from Molalla Communications and Molalla High School memorabilia.

Also on Oct. 13, Molalla Fire District will host an open house and safety fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Read more details here.

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