Apple-Palooza 2015 is this Saturday, October 24th!  I hope you’re all as excited as we are.  Have you purchased your apples for the pies you’re bringing for the contest?  Planned how you are going to carve your pumpkin for the carved pumpkin contest?  Prepared your family for all the fun they’re going to have at the orchard in just 2 days!

Let’s go over the final itinerary of the day and then I’ll feature a few of the special events that are happening too!

ITINERARY for October 24th:

Prior to opening … apple pies and carved pumpkins can be dropped off prior to opening but please contact me if you’re planning on coming before 9am.  608-635-4780

9:00—Store Opens for Business
10:30 – Kraut Making Station Opens
11:00 – Lonely Oak Farm, Matilda Jane Clothing, and Fuzzy Monkey will be set up and ready for business!
12:45—Deadline for Contest Pies & Carved Pumpkins to be Delivered and Viewing of the Apple Pies
1:00—Apple Pie Contest Judging Starts
1:00 – Voting starts for the Carved Pumpkins -
1:15—Old Fashion Cider Pressing Demo
3:00 – Lonely Oak Farm closes down
3:00-4:00* – Pie and Pumpkin winners are announced *this will happen as soon as the judging is finished and everything is tallied up.  Once the winners have been announced – pie slices will be sold for $1/slice with proceeds going to the Poynette School Parent Club. 
4:00 – Matilda Jane Clothing, Fuzzy Monkey and Kraut station close up
6:00—Store Closes
*this will happen as soon as the judging is finished and everything is tallied up.  Once the winners have been announced – pie slices will be sold for $1/slice with proceeds going to the Poynette School Parent Club.

 

Lonely Oak Farm – amazing brats and hot dogs!  Buy them fresh to enjoy right away – or frozen to enjoy later!

Matilda Jane Clothing –

Nicolle Ward, our local Matilda Jane rep will be bringing the Matilda Jane trunk to the orchard! 

photo by Karmen Lindner Photography of the Fall 2014 release

You and your children can try on these gorgeous, impeccably made clothing and see why they make everyone happy as soon as they put them on!

Some extra exciting news about the sales made from my trunk show is that 20% of the proceeds will be going to the Poynette School District PAD Club! 

Fuzzy Monkey

Cindi Haynie will be here with her fun upcycled sweater creations – including great mittens to keep your hands toasty warm for these upcoming chilly days!

Apple Pie Contest –

Pies need to arrive no later than 12:45 to be included in the pie contest.  The winner of the contest will get a free pie a month for an entire year from Monty’s Blue Plate Diner!  Other fun prizes will also be awarded.  At the conclusion of the contest the pies will be cut up and sold for just $1/slice.  100% of the proceeds will go to the Poynette School District PAD Club. 

Carved Pumpkin Contest -

Carved Pumpkins need to be here no later than 12:45.  The pumpkin with the most votes by the time the apple pie judging is complete will win a prize!

Old Fashion Cider Pressing Demo -

Jared will be doing a demonstration of how we used to make cider with a small wooden press at 1:15.  Be sure to head over and see how it works!

Kraut Making Station -

Stop by the station to see how Kraut is made or to make your very own bucket to take home and ferment! More info here.

 

As you can see – October 24th is going to be a great day to come out to the orchard!

Have you ever wondered how Sauerkraut is made?  Well – you’re opportunity to find out and even make your very own is here!  We have a lot of cabbage and we want to invite YOU to come and make your very own sauerkraut!

What:  Kraut Making at Apple Palooza!

When:  Saturday, October 24th from 10:30pm to 4pm

Where:  Lapacek’s Orchard, N1959 Kroncke Road, Poynette, WI

What’s Happening?

• Help make the kraut (sauerkraut).
  
• Take home a bucket of kraut (about 6 quarts) to ferment at home.
  Fermentation takes 6 to 8 weeks.
  
• You'll leave with instructions to can or freeze your kraut after
  fermentation is complete. Or just put it in the frig and eat it over
  the next few months.
  
• Cost is $15 per bucket of kraut.
  
• Bring the whole family. Make one bucket or several. Stop by anytime between 10:30 to 4 on Saturday during Apple-Palooza to make your bucket or buckets.
  

Pip’s very first field trip was to the her very own house!  The last two weeks in September and the first week in October there are field trips for school groups and daycares that visit our orchard.  I was super excited when Pip’s 4K teacher contacted us and set up a tour.

I think Pip was a little excited too!

We had her ride the bus to school and then with her schoolmates back to the orchard. 

I don’t think she minded a bit of extra time on the bus.

Earlier in the week I had asked Pip if I could just cancel Miss Lisa (our tour guide) and just have Pip give the tour.  Here’s how the conversation went:

Mom: “Pip, so … since you’re coming here with your class, can I just cancel Miss Lisa and have you do the tour?”

Pip: “No mama!”

Mom: “Why not?  You already know everything to tell them on the tour.”

Pip: “Because Mama.  I don’t want to tell everyone ‘Hello, my name is Lisa.’”

LOL!  I love this kid!

Here they all are trying to find a raspberry … it was a bit challenging by the end of the tour. 

And at this point I had to get back into the shop and let the tour continue. Pip was completely happy. 

I snuck back out again for a few more pictures when they returned from the orchard to see the animals.  You’d think Pip had never seen them before!

Seriously! 

And of course … the tour ends on the playground!

I have to just say – apple season is intense and it’s intense on our kids.  We expect a lot from them … including a lot of independence and waiting for us to have time for them.  But with that said – our kids are growing up on an apple orchard!  It really is quite a cool thing.  (Plus – they get my undivided attention … well sort of undivided, I may have a hard time focusing … for  months a year.)

Thanks to all the groups who came out this year and made the tour season a great one!

The Apple Pie Contest is an event that is here to stay at Lapacek’s Orchard.  As we're gearing up for this year's Apple-Palooza on October 24th I'm going to take a minute to share with you some of the winners from the past and a preliminary itinerary for this year.


2014 Apple Pie Winner – Melissa Fischer
2013 Pie Winner - Josie Tollaksen with her ‘Apple Pie for your Soul’!

2012 Pie Winner – Brenda Endres
2011 Apple Pie Winner – Melissa Walsh

The judges will decide winners for – Best Pie Overall and three runner ups, Most Creative Pie, and Prettiest Pie.  The entire event is meant to be fun so I hope you decide to ‘throw your pie’ in the ring and give it a go!
 
If you are interested in baking a pie for the contest please send me an email: {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with your name and pie baking story (if you have one – if you don’t have a story, no worries). Plan on arriving at the orchard by 12:45pm with your pie (earlier than that is just fine too …we open at 9 and I can make arrangements with you if you need earlier than that). Pie viewing and photo’s will take place at 1:00pm and judging will start at 1:30pm.

Once judging is complete - I'm guessing around 2:30/3:00ish... we'll be cutting all the pies up into slices and selling them for $1 a slice.  100% of the money made from the apple pie slice sales will go to the PAD Parent Group of the Poynette School District. Food Fight Restaurant Group is once again sponsoring our Pie Contest – a free pie every month for a year from Monty’s Blue Plate Diner!!!

Old-Fashioned Cider Pressing Demo:

“Come Squeeze Our Apples”

Jared will be demonstrating how we used to press our apples to make cider with an old fashioned wood cider press. This demo will take place at 1:15 and will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Carved Pumpkin Contest

During the first Apple-Palooza, in 2011, we discovered that there’s quite a bit of standing around while the pies get judged.  We’re going to have a ‘Carved Pumpkin Contest’.  People of all ages can bring their carved pumpkin – anytime before 12:45, put it on display and then we’ll all walk by and vote for our personal favorite!  I’ll have a prize for the best carved pumpkin – still to be determined. 

Vendors!

There’s always a lot of milling about as pie judging is happening so now you’ll all have an opportunity to shop at some great booths!  Here’s a list  of folks you can expect to visit during Apple Palooza!

• Fuzzy Monkey
• Lonely Oak Farm
• Matilda Jane Clothing

Below is a rough itinerary for Apple-Palooza.  I will update it as necessary so keep an eye on the blog for any changes or additions to the day that may occur.

Final itinerary is posted HERE!  

Once winners have been announced – pie slices will be sold for $1/slice with proceeds going to the Poynette School Parent Club.

There are so many opportunities for you to have a fun at the orchard on this day!  I can’t wait!  I have an event set up on Facebook so be sure to share with your friends/family about this great FREE event too!