OXFORD — Oxford and Preble County residents alike flocked to Hueston Woods last weekend to see just how Apple Butter is created in the pioneer fashion.
The annual Apple Butter Festival was held Saturday, Oct. 7 through Sunday, Oct. 8 at the Pioneer Farm Museum, located on Brown Road next to the Hueston Woods Golf Course.
The event only cost $4 for adults and provided fun for the whole family. Proceeds are directed to the historic preservation goals of the Oxford Museum Association.
Held on the historic Pioneer Farm, the event brought history and modern day on a collision course as visitors were permitted to tour the different attractions.
The Pioneer Farm became part of Hueston Woods in the 1950s. The Oxford Museum Association started leasing the property from the part in 1959. They opened the grounds to the public as a museum.
In early years, apple butter making demonstrations were held occassionally at the Pioneer Farm as part of the Association’s mission to foster awareness and appreciation of the 19th century rural and small town life. This event became so popular that it grew into the annual Apple Butter Festival in 1965.
Now-a-days the festival shows the process of making homemade apple butter cooked over open fires, then immediately canned and ready for sale. You cannot buy fresher apple butter than that.
In addition to the sale of fresh apple butter, a variety of apples, cider, pumpkins, and gourds can be purchased during the festival.
There are also many craft vendors and food concession on the grounds, including: kettle corn, funnel cakes, handmade arts and crafts, and food service.
East Fork Junction performed on Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
Each year demonstrations of pioneer crafts are featured, including spinning, weaving, and blacksmithing. Tours are conducted through the Doty homestead and the barn, both of mid 1980’s vintage and exhibiting a broad display of museum artifacts.
