Show Notes
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Margaret Joyce and Jed Allen of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce about the 42nd annual Apple Harvest Day. What began as a small craft fair on Orchard Street with about a dozen crafters has grown into a signature event often described as Dover's homecoming, with roughly 250 vendors, two food courts, a road race, an apple pie contest and entertainment on two stages. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the 5K road race starting at 8:30 a.m.
Construction on Henry Law Avenue has required some changes. Activities in the lower portion of Henry Law Park, including bouncy houses and the train ride, won't happen this year, but the chamber relocated most vendors, giving priority to crafters and longtime returning vendors. Upper Henry Law Park will still feature a stage, animal ambassadors, yard games and Children's Museum activities, and a sensory space will be available at Fish Ladder Park. The guests also set the record straight on rumors: Apple Harvest Day is happening.
To ease congestion, free parking is available at 100 Liberty Way off Exit 9, with three times as many shuttles as last year running until 5 p.m. A new bike valet will operate near the Church Street parking garage. Joyce and Allen also credited city public safety staff, sponsors First Seacoast Bank and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, and the many volunteers who make the day possible.
In This Week in Dover History, we look back to Oct. 12, 1985, when a group of downtown business owners known as the Apple Corps launched the first Apple Harvest Day. The inaugural festival drew thousands with apple-themed breakfasts, a pie contest, a craft fair, a petting zoo, a Dover High School Band parade and tethered hot air balloon rides over Henry Law Park.
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