Apple Festival of Kendallville

The Apple Festival of Kendallville is a pioneer-themed event held at the Noble County Fairgrounds in Kendallville, Indiana, celebrating the 1800-1865 period with a focus on historical demonstration, crafts, food, and family entertainment. The 2025 festival takes place October 4-5, running from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

The atmosphere is that of a living history fair, featuring a primitive village with demonstration buildings, a Civil War encampment area, and a focus on 19th-century pioneer life. It is family-friendly, offering extensive children’s crafts and games alongside contests and antiques, creating an educational and immersive experience. The vibe is community-centered, with a strong emphasis on historical appreciation and cultural heritage in a relaxed rural fairground setting.

The festival features over 90 craft booths showcasing handmade pioneer-era crafts, plus about 30 food vendors, primarily non-profit community organizations, offering a variety of period-appropriate and classic foods. Booths must maintain a strict “old-fashioned” 1830-1865 decor standard, avoiding modern materials and ensuring historical authenticity.

Key activities and attractions include:

• Pioneer demonstrations such as traditional crafts, trades, and cooking techniques.
• A primitive village area with demonstration buildings and log homestead.
• Civil War reenactments or activities.
• Children’s crafts and games designed to engage young visitors in hands-on history.
• Contests spanning various festival themes.
• Antique displays and a home decorating contest focused on period aesthetics.
• Quality live entertainment staged at multiple locations around the fairground.
• Food offerings with a strong community and charity connection.

Additional festival features include free off-site parking at nearby lots with shuttle service to the fairgrounds (on Drake Rd and at Fairview Plaza), as well as accessible parking on site for a fee. First aid is provided at a designated log cabin near the primitive area.

A rough schedule outline for the two days:

• Saturday, October 4: 9 am to 6 pm — Opening of all booths, demonstrations, food vendors, children’s activities, contests, live entertainment across multiple stages.
• Sunday, October 5: 9 am to 5 pm — Continuation of all activities and vendors, concluding by late afternoon.

Vendors set up Friday or early Saturday morning must conform to historic decor rules; no teardown allowed before Sunday 5 pm to maintain festival integrity throughout.

Camping is not available on the fairgrounds itself, but nearby options such as Bixler Lake Campground serve visitors who wish to stay overnight.

The festival was founded to promote appreciation of pioneer life and local heritage, using community participation and volunteerism to authentically recreate an 1830-1865 setting for educational and entertainment purposes. It has grown to become a cherished annual event with strong community ties, notably through many non-profit food vendors reinvesting funds back into local causes.

For visitors, the event is a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience early Indiana pioneer life through immersive history, hands-on crafts, community food, and family entertainment all integrated into a festive fall celebration.