![\"\"](\"https:\/\/morgancountyusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Bellysima Belly Dance Troupe at
Apple Butter Festival, October 12, 2019, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Photo credit: Bob Wurster<\/em>
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Volunteers working the lot had to turn away cars early Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it turns out that it was another bang up year for the festival \u2013 now in its 46th year. (Yes, West Virginia, the 50th Annual Apple Butter festival is around the corner \u2013 2024.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Berkeley Springs Morgan County Chamber of Commerce netted an estimated $40,000 from this year\u2019s festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s according to the Chamber\u2019s Jeanne Mozier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even though the festival is a fund raiser for the Chamber, it benefits all businesses in town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the biggest day of the year for most of the restaurants, hotels and other lodging,\u201d Mozier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That left an opening for those who didn\u2019t have to wait to dine on the spectacular Asian food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historically, people have come from all over the region to the Apple Butter festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to talk to people and find out how many people first came here to the Apple Butter festival \u2013 and then decided to buy a weekend home here and eventually retire here,\u201d Mozier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Jefferson County hosting a Danish multinational \u2013 Rockwool \u2013 putting a industrial facility in a bedroom community, and with Berkeley County generally overgrown \u2013 Morgan County still has that small town country feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy job is to hold on to the vision,\u201d Mozier said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One indication that this year\u2019s 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 … Continue reading