Apple Butter Festival in Berkeley Springs Moving on Up As 50th Anniversary Approaches

One indication that this year’s Apple Butter Festival was going to be a success came from the train depot parking lot.

Volunteers working the lot had to turn away cars early Saturday afternoon.

And it turns out that it was another bang up year for the festival – now in its 46th year. (Yes, West Virginia, the 50th Annual Apple Butter festival is around the corner – 2024.)

The Berkeley Springs Morgan County Chamber of Commerce netted an estimated $40,000 from this year’s festival.

That’s according to the Chamber’s Jeanne Mozier.

The Chamber takes in money from festival vendor commissions, beer garden sales, t-shirts and other Apple Butter swag, and quilt sales. But it has to pay for trash pick up, portable restrooms, entertainment, electricity, printing and trolley rental.

And even though the festival is a fund raiser for the Chamber, it benefits all businesses in town. 

“It’s the biggest day of the year for most of the restaurants, hotels and other lodging,” Mozier said.

The food vendors did very well this year, Mozier said, with long lines waiting to get to the Amish donuts, butterfly potatoes and pizza and subs. 

That left an opening for those who didn’t have to wait to dine on the spectacular Asian food.

Historically, people have come from all over the region to the Apple Butter festival.

“It’s amazing to talk to people and find out how many people first came here to the Apple Butter festival – and then decided to buy a weekend home here and eventually retire here,” Mozier said.

With Jefferson County hosting a Danish multinational – Rockwool – putting a industrial facility in a bedroom community, and with Berkeley County generally overgrown – Morgan County still has that small town country feel. 

“My job is to hold on to the vision,” Mozier said.