Kimmswick Mayor Kenny Kraft said he believes a record number of people attended the 49th annual Apple Butter Festival.
He said nearly 150,000 people flocked to the Mississippi River town throughout the two-day festival on Oct. 24-25. Last year, about 120,000 attended the event, when the second day was cut short due to inclement weather.
“This had to be some sort of record this year,” Kraft said of the attendance. “Saturday was unbelievable. By 9:45 (a.m. Saturday), this entire town was elbow to elbow. What was great was the weather was perfect; people were in a good mood and people shopped. The sun was shining on us, and it was nice.”
Kimmswick Historical Society member Becky Hagan said the group sold all of its jars of Apple Butter as well as 100 gift baskets during the event. The Historical Society also held a raffle for a quilt, but Hagan said she could not share the winner’s name.
“We had a wonderful weekend as far as sales go and making our apple butter,” she said. “All of our people are just great in volunteering and spending time down there. We sold every drop of our apple butter. It makes a big difference having good weather.”
On Monday, Kraft and Hagan said they did not know how much money was collected for the town or the Historical Society. Kraft said the town likely collected at least $100,000.
The Apple Butter Festival and Strawberry Festival, which is held in June, make up about 80 percent of the town’s budget, according to Kimmswick officials.
“Parking was great, I know we made $13,000 or $14,000 from parking this year,” Kraft said.
The weekend featured 275 vendors selling items such as maple syrup, 3D printed items, pottery, crochet creations, glass art work and more. There also were 40 food trucks selling items throughout the weekend, and most of Kimmswick’s restaurants and businesses were open during the event.
“Every one of our vendors was telling us that they had sold what they wanted to by 1 o’clock Saturday,” Kraft said. “I have never seen so many happy vendors, I don’t think. They sold all weekend.”
Kraft said Ellie Mae’s Menagerie, which offered interactive experiences with kangaroos for a fee, was a popular attraction for the second straight year.
“I waited in line for 35 or 40 minutes for (Ellie Mae’s Menagerie),” he said. “That went over very well.”
Kraft also said performances by the 1st Things First, Rocky Martin Music Duo, AMF Duo, The Wings of Eagles and Hammerhead bands were popular throughout the festival.
“You could hear people cheering and clapping for those bands all weekend,” he said. “This set of bands that we had this year are probably some of the best music acts we have ever had down here.”
Kraft said he met a man from Germany during the Apple Butter Festival, and the two will likely stay in contact as pen pals.
“His daughter married a gentleman in the Air Force, and they were relocated to Scott Air Force (Base in Illinois),” he said. “He saw some of our Jefferson County tourism ads on TV, and he and his son drove down here. This was his first time in America, and this was one of the first things he came and did. We already have become pen pals, and he is talking about coming back around Christmas.”
Kraft said the town is looking forward to next year’s 50th Apple Butter Festival, and Kimmswick plans to hold the Strawberry Festival over the first weekend of June while the Kimmswick Great Streets Project is being completed.
Gershenson Co. Inc. of Eureka will be paid $2,877,671.30 to reconstruct Market Street from Windsor Harbor Road to Fourth Street, and install sidewalks, lighting, signage and additional area parking. The contractor also will add sidewalks and an asphalt overlay to ancillary streets: Front, Fourth, Fifth and Beckett.
The project is a joint venture between Jefferson County and Kimmswick. Two federal grants – the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and the Surface Transportation Program (STP) – facilitated by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments will cover 70 percent, or $2,014,369.91, of the construction costs, and the county and Kimmswick will pay the remaining 30 percent, or $863,301.39.
