Sebastopol apple festival draws thousands

<p>Thomas Palmertree, a 37-year-old food service worker from Forestville, had a simple but surefire plan for winning the adult category of the apple sauce-eating contest Saturday at the Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol.</p><p>“It was tapping the bottle, filling my mouth, swallowing and going back for more,” said Palmertree, who downed a large jar of sauce in a minute's time.</p><p>Palmertree's girlfriend, Callista Turner, who had signed him up for the contest, knowing that her 6-foot, 260-pound boyfriend would do well. It was the couple's second time attending the apple festival, which this weekend is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Gravenstein apple show in Sebastopol.</p><p>Mother Nature's gift to those participating in the centennial celebration, which continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is mild weather with temperatures in the mid-70s, far below last year's 90-degree mark.</p><p>Locals and out-of-towners flocked to the fair at Ragle Ranch Regional Park, quickly packing the main parking lot inside the park.</p><p>“We've never filled our main parking lot like this,” said Tina Castelli, fair manager. “This is our biggest year.”</p><p>Castelli said she expected about 10,000 visitors each day, a big bump over the fair's usual attendance of about 8,000 daily visitors.</p><p>The increase is likely due to an aggressive advertising campaign that utilized web banners and, for the first time, online preregistration.</p><p>Everything apple-related, from fresh apples to apple juice to fritters and pies, dominated the vendor scene. In addition, a greater effort was made to expand the international food offerings, Castelli said.</p><p> While many donned T-shirts, Susie Marquez, 69,of Westmorland in Imperial County wore a light blue fleece sweater. Marquez, a retired school teacher, was vacationing at the KOA camp in Petaluma with her husband.</p><p>“It was 110 degrees when we left Tuesday morning,” said Richard Marquez, 70, a retired federal employee.</p><p>As they ate corn on the cob, the couple recalled their teenage years working in the Sebastopol area apple industry. Their parents were migrant farm workers.</p><p>At a booth near one of the entrances to the fair area, Steve Dutton, the co-owner of Dutton Ranch outside Graton, talked with friends and visitors who stopped by.</p><p>Dutton said this summer's weather patterns, which fluctuated between hot and cold, delayed the apple harvest by about 10 days. Usually, picking starts around July 20.</p><p>The timing this year was great for the fair, he said, adding that there's about another week left in the apple harvest.</p><p>“The cool weather with the fog has made apple size-up nicely,” he said.</p><p>The entrance fee is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 60 and older, and $5 for kids 6 to 12 years old. Kids under 6 are free.</p>