Celebrate Apples at SCLT Apple Fest

What better day to celebrate apples than Johnny Appleseed’s birthday?

The Sheridan Community Land Trust will host an Apple Fest from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the SCLT Welcome Center at Big Goose Natural Area, 14 Lane Ln.

It also marks the birthday of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, making it a fitting evening to celebrate apples, their history and their place on our landscape.

Visitors can test their skills at aerial apple dunking, enjoy fresh apple cider and homemade apple goodies, and head outside for a walk to some of the heritage apple trees still growing at the Big Goose Natural Area.

Those trees will provide a starting point for exploring the history of apples in Wyoming and Sheridan, along with a little of the real story behind Johnny Appleseed and the apple trees he helped spread across the American frontier. As daylight fades, everyone will be invited to gather around the campfire for storytelling.

“Apple Fest gives us a chance to take something familiar and use it to explore the history and landscape right outside the Welcome Center,” SCLT Education and Public Engagement Assistant Bruce Scigliano said. “We can taste some cider, visit our heritage apple trees, share a few stories and maybe learn something along the way. And celebrating on Johnny Appleseed’s birthday gives us one more story to tell.”

The program is part of SCLT’s growing lineup of activities at the Welcome Center that invite people to experience the Big Goose Natural Area in new ways. Whether visitors come for the cider, the history, the games or simply an evening around the campfire, there should be something for everyone to enjoy.

So grab the family and help us wish Johnny Appleseed a happy 252nd birthday, apple-style.

Apple Fest will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the SCLT Welcome Center at Big Goose Natural Area. Admission is free and no registration is required.

Learn more about SCLT Apple Fest at https://sheridanclt.org/events/apple-fest-at-the-sclt-welcome-center/.