Celebrate the Fall Season at the 3rd Annual Harvest Festival

News Release Date: September 12, 2013

Contact: Danica Willis, 530-242-3438

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area staff and the Friends of Whiskeytown invite visitors to join us for the 3rd Annual Harvest Festival on September 21, 2013, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the park’s Tower House Historic District. This fun and family-friendly event will feature apple tasting, an apple-themed bake-off contest, games for all ages, and tours of the historic Camden House and orchards. Additionally, the festival will also offer a tour by world-renowned arborist Rico Montenegro, who will speak about ongoing efforts to restore and manage the historic orchards in the Tower House Historic District.

Several varieties of apples will be available for tasting, many of which are heirloom cultivars, planted in the mid and late 19th century by local pioneers.These cultivars were grown organically and possess unique characteristics that are not found in modern apple varieties. Due to poor apple crops this year, apples will not be available for picking.

The bake-off will be judged by a local panel that include representatives from the culinary industry. Prizes will be awarded to those with the best tasting creations. Please include the recipe for your dish, as it will be compiled into a harvest-themed cookbook that also features historic Whiskeytown recipes from the journals of early settlers.

Visitors can park in the Tower House Historic District parking lot and follow the footpath to the Camden House where the festivities will be held. The day-use fee will be waived for those participating in the Harvest Festival event.

Schedule

10:30 Walk-in-Time Orchard Tour: From the Wintu to the Gold Rush to the establishment of the National Recreation Area. Great opportunity to hear the history of the landscape and the orchards.

11:00 Orchard Restoration Tour: Take a tour with Rico Montenegro, a certified arborist, and learn about the fascinating world of historic fruit tree varieties.

11:30 Walk-in-Time Orchards Tour

11:30 Deadline for Bake-Off entries

12:00 Bake Off Judging

12:30 Bake- Off Results

1:00 Orchard Restoration Tour

2:00 Walk-in-Time Orchards Tour

3:00 Festival Ends

All Day Activities (10 am - 3 pm):

- Apple Tasting: Try several different varieties of heirloom apples from the Camden House Orchards
- Children's Apple Games
- Apple Poetry