Juicy red apples are the stars of the Oak Harbor Apple Festival, but the Village of Oak Harbor has to wait for the autumn season to have the apples ripen.

The 42nd annual Oak Harbor Apple Festival crowded the Village of Oak Harbor on Saturday and Sunday with crowds of area families eager for down-home food, parade pageantry, lots of fun and plenty of entertainment.

And, of course, apples!

The annual Apple Festival always draws big crowds with its crowd of vendors, fair food, contests and entertainment.

Apple orchards abound in the Village of Oak Harbor area, as well as around western Ottawa County. The Catawba Island Peninsula is returning to its tradition of peach orchards and vineyards. Roadside fruit stands are common again.

The success of the Apple Festival, though, is due to its many sponsors. Local businesses, village workers and volunteers make up the work force and they are joined by a wealth of vendors and local residents who have been working together for months to make the two-day festival the success that it was this year, said Valerie Winterfield, executive Director of the Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s Candy Apple sponsors were Croghan Colonial Bank, Crown Battery, Lake Erie Shores & Islands, Ohio Telecom, Magruder Hospital, McDonald’s, Paramount Health, and The Village of Oak Harbor.

The Red Delicious Sponsors were Carroll Township, Civilian Marksmanship Program, Commodore Perry Federal Credit Union, Community Markets, Howey’s House of Brews, Lake Disposal, Materion, Molly Judge, DPM, Oak Harbor Dental, Oak Harbor Rotary Club, Owens Ark Veterinary Clinic, ProMedica Memorial Hospital, Rainbow Acres, Steve Wagner For Trustee and Varga Custom Concrete.

The Basket Full of Apples were Blackberry Corners, Luckey Farmers, Moore Orchards, St. Bonore Financial Services, Thrivent Financial, and US Bank.

The Oak Harbor Chamber gave special thanks to PENTA/Oak Harbor FFA Chapter and Advisors, Oak Harbor Police Department, Village of Oak Harbor Electrical Department, Village of Oak Harbor Street Department, Portage Fire District, Mid County EMS, Carroll Twp. Police Department and EMS, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, ODOT, Jason’s Pumpkin Patch, Wistinghausen Florist & Greenhouses, Moore Orchards, BCS Schools, Community Markets, Croghan Colonial Bank, Oak Harbor Hardware, Spangler Motors and US Bank.

The 2022 Apple Festival is already on the planning board for the 43rd edition on Oct. 8-9, 2022. Mark your calendars.