Sweet celebration for autumn

Tring Apple Fayre

The Apple Day and Apple Procession are the largest two events during Tring’s Own Apple Fayre, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

The fayre lasts from the Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas towards the end of September, to Halloween, Samhain and All Souls Day in early November, and embraces activities such as harvest celebrations to snap apple night and ‘souling’. Previously, there have been events with local schools, Natural History Museum, Ford End Watermill, harvest festivals, ceilidhs, bakeoffs, talks, films, walks, music, window displays, cooking classes, meditations and labyrinths, and dancing the sun down.

Martin Hicks, one of the event organisers, said: ‘The Apple Day itself is a celebration of everything orchard. It has included apples, apple juicing, food, puppet shows, maypole dancing, frog racing, woodcarving, hurdlemaking, strawplaiting, pottery, music, bees, ecological research, ants, historic re-enactment, local stalls, poetry, catching moths, and games, as well as the history of the site and the orchard at Jeacocks Orchard.

‘The orchard is open so that the community doesn’t forget it is here and can enjoy it, and it’s a chance to give something back to the community, with an interesting, educational, fun and simply enjoyable day,’ Martin said.

‘The procession supports the Farmers Market and encourages a seasonal celebration. It has included numerous local morris sides, an Apple Man and Woman, and friends and musicians, apple cart, pony and trap, school scarecrows, bee town, maypole, sheep, locally grown giant pumpkins, vintage ice cream van and any special guests. The Mayor always takes pride of place in the carriage, while the local MP has even helped push the pumpkin down the High Street.’

Key dates are:

  • Apple Day at Jeacock’s Orchard, Cow Lane, 4 Oct, 10am-4pm
  • Special Farmers Market and procession, 10 Oct, 10.30am Tring High Street
  • National Emergency Briefing Film, 15 Oct, 6.30pm-9pm, High St Baptist Church
  • Mossy Tapes experimental music concert, 4 Oct, 2-3pm, and 23 Oct, 7.30pm, St Martha’s Church, Tring
  • Dance Sun Down, New Moon Morris, 25 Oct, late pm, Pitstone Hill

More dates to be confirmed, see www.sustainabletring.org.uk/apple-fayre.