Apple butter tradition continues at Harvest Moon Festival
Tracy Chapman, left, works a busy booth during the Harvest Moon Festival Saturday evening. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Attendees to the Harvest Moon Festival roam around Parkersburg City Park to check out different food and attraction Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Vada DiGiovanni, right, gets her face painted during the Harvest Moon Festival Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Cayden Conner holds a bunny at the petting zoo during the Harvest Moon Festival at Parkersburg City Park Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Jayda Lockhart rides a pony from Gab and the Goat petting zoo during the Harvest Moon Festival at Parkersburg City Park Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
From left, Joyce Vanfossen, Lawanda Kress and Paula Prager work in assembly line to store apple butter in mason jars during the Harvest Festival at Parkersburg City Part Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Tracy Chapman, left, works a busy booth during the Harvest Moon Festival Saturday evening. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Attendees to the Harvest Moon Festival roam around Parkersburg City Park to check out different food and attraction Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Vada DiGiovanni, right, gets her face painted during the Harvest Moon Festival Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Cayden Conner holds a bunny at the petting zoo during the Harvest Moon Festival at Parkersburg City Park Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Jayda Lockhart rides a pony from Gab and the Goat petting zoo during the Harvest Moon Festival at Parkersburg City Park Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
From left, Joyce Vanfossen, Lawanda Kress and Paula Prager work in assembly line to store apple butter in mason jars during the Harvest Festival at Parkersburg City Part Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
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PARKERSBURG -- Families found pony rides, crafts and an apple butter tradition spanning generations Saturday at the Harvest Moon Festival at City Park.
Kela Kress, assistant director of Wood County Recreation, said the event offered face painting, a petting zoo, inflatables, live music and food and craft vendors.
For Kress, the apple butter kettle was a connection to her family's history. Her relatives made apple butter at the festival through 4-H before she was born, and she has taken part since childhood.
"So I kind of tried to bring it back and got my family involved, and we do this every year," Kress said.
"The kettle is almost 200 years old," she said. "It's been in my family for that long."
Family members came from different places to help, she said. They stirred the apple butter throughout the day, adding sugar, cinnamon and other ingredients before putting it into jars. Children were eager to lend a hand, too.
At the petting zoo, Diane Graybow was helping with her daughter's business, Gab and the Goat.
Graybow said the business grew out of a conversation about the cost of feeding the animals her daughter kept at home.
"So she started just taking them around to birthday parties and stuff, just to share her love of animals with kids," Graybow said.
The business is also part of her daughter's plan to pay for veterinary school. Graybow said her daughter is in college and has submitted an application to veterinary school.
Longtime vendor Tracy Chapman said her favorite part of participating in the festival was "just the people that you meet."
For attendee Tina Easton, the event offered children a chance to have fun and burn off energy after returning to school.
"(It’s) just good for the kids," Easton said. "They're back in school, they get some of their energy out."
"I just hope they get to come and have fun and have a nice family-oriented day to just spend time with their family outside in the sun," Kress said.