Applefest will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch and Country Farm Market, located at the corner of Broomfield Road and Summerton Road.

The event has been attended by up to 3,000 people in previous years, said Karen Ranzenberger, public relations chair for Applefest.

“Essentially, it’s a showcase of what small family-owned businesses and volunteers can do together to make a family-friendly day,” she said. “We have a lot of friends that really make this event happen. It’s so much fun to watch the expressions on kids’ faces.”

Applefest features an arts and crafts show, food and drinks, kids’ games and face-painting.

Craft vendors attend the event from all over the state, said Tanya Domina, Zonta Club member.

Crafts available include hand-carved wooden bowls, homemade mittens and scarves, hand-painted ornaments, jewelry and more, said Domina, who is in charge of coordinating the crafts and vendor portion of the event.

Zonta members and volunteers bake an assortment of goods the day before the event so they are fresh for Applefest, said Mary Flanagan, Zonta Club member and chair of the bake sale.

“I encourage guests to visit the bake sale in the morning to make sure they are able to purchase a pie before they are gone,” Flanagan said.

All proceeds from Applefest go to projects selected by the Zonta Club of Mount Pleasant. Some of these projects include Women’s Aid Service, Morey Cancer Center and Summer Reading Clinic at Central Michigan University.

For college students interested in volunteering with Zonta, the club is starting a student organization, “Golden Z Club,” which will be open to students at Mid Michigan Community College and CMU.

This event could not have been a success without the help of you and the many other volunteers who donated their time. Over seventy individuals from the community volunteered their time over a three-day period, including braving inclement weather on the day of Applefest.

Our special thanks goes to CMU students from the Volunteer Center, Alpha Phi Omega, American Sign Language Society, Circle K, Family Relations Council, Phi Theta Kapa and Pre-Audiology Student Organization.

Once again, the Zonta Club of Mount Pleasant thanks you for your efforts and contribution of time!

Tanya Domina, CMU faculty
President of the Zonta Club
of Mount Pleasant