The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival ("The Bloom") is a 14-day festival held annually in spring in

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

. First held in 1924, it is one of the oldest civic celebrations in the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...

History

The festival was first held Saturday, May 3, 1924, and was originally celebrated as a one-day event (although not held in 1942–1945 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

). Features include a Grand Feature Parade, Firefighters' Parade (first held on Thursday, April 18, 1929), a carnival and midway, luncheons, races, walks, dances and concerts, as well as a field show competition which formerly gave out the Queen's Cup trophy to the winner (although the trophy was retired in 1977, by Princess Anne High School of Virginia Beach, Virginia after winning the competition three straight years). The Queen, Queen Shenandoah, has been crowned every year at

John Handley High School John Handley High School is an endowed public high school located in the city of Winchester, Virginia. It is a part of Winchester Public Schools. It was founded by a grant from Judge John Handley, hence the school mascot, the Judges. Construct ...

(with the exception of 2007, due to ongoing renovations), starting with the original Queen, Elizabeth Steck (Arthur). A loss of interest during the 1930s, prompted the appointment of Tom Baldridge to the seat of Executive Director of the festival. He was also employed at

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

in the publicity department, which allowed him the opportunity to schedule celebrities, in turn renewing public interest in the festival. The period of the 1960s and 1970s introduced various new aspects to the festival including: the first visit by a

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

(1964), the beginning of attendance by sports celebrities

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

(1965), and the premier of Sunday in the Park (1975). The Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars, still a favorite of children, first appeared at the festival in 1981.

The festival today

The festival is run by the private Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival organization and attracts over 250,000 people. Highlights include the Old Town Wine & Fine Arts Festival and the Apple Blossom Carnival. The festival is known for its many guest celebrities and events. During the spring, in preparation for the festival, the citizens of Winchester hold an annual clean-up, followed by decoration of the city in green, pink and white (festival colors), in order to make Winchester more presentable for its anticipated guests. On March 17, 2020 it was announced that planning for the 2020 festival was suspended due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, effectively cancelling the event for that year. The festival was held in 2021 with the theme “Back in Bloom.” Offering 21 events, this 2021 festival was condensed when compared with earlier instances of the festival, which generally presented more than twice that number of events. Restrictions due to the

were in place for the 2021 festival, such as the requirement that a maximum of 900 people attend the Apple Blossom Carnival at any one time.Merod, Anna
"'We Made It Work': 94th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Pushes Through Pandemic""The Winchester Star"
3 May 2021. Retrieved on 30 September 2021.

References

External links

Official Festival Website
{{coord missing, Virginia Tourist attractions in Winchester, Virginia Festivals in Virginia Flower festivals in the United States Apple festivals Festivals established in 1924 1924 establishments in Virginia