BUCYRUS – The legacy of Johnny Appleseed will come to life this weekend when the Bucyrus Bicentennial Commission celebrates his birthday during The Pickwick Place’s annual Flannel Fest.
Johnny Appleseed, the pacifist pioneer who traveled through Crawford County back in the early 1800s, will be showcased both Saturday and Sunday. A fitting tribute to local folklore and, of course, the legendary apple trees he planted along the way.
“Pickwick seemed like the perfect, modern apple farm to be involved,” said Laura Stuckey, co-owner of The Pickwick Place, 1875 N. Sandusky Ave. “We decided it would be a good fit. We like the cross-promotion kind of tying the two events together.”
The commemoration ceremony will take place at 1:00 p.m. on both days. One of Saturday’s speakers will be a representative from the Johnny Appleseed Foundation, while Sunday’s ceremony will emphasize Johnny Appleseed’s legacy from a religious perspective.
Since Sunday is also Johnny Appleseed’s birthday (born Sept. 26, 1774), Stuckey said Flannel Fest activities that day will focus on the apple theme – a One Apple Cannon Shot, Hillbilly Treadmill, and a Corn Maze featuring fun facts about Johnny Appleseed.
A wide assortment of food and beverages will also be available, Stuckey said, including apple cider slushies and apple cider doughnuts. Festivalgoers can pick apples at Pickwick’s nearby orchard or purchase different varieties in The Market building.
The Bicentennial Commission, meanwhile, will be on hand selling Johnny Appleseed potholders and magnets, special mugs, and Bicentennial-branded apple butter to recognize the city’s 200th birthday and, of course, National Johnny Appleseed Day.
Elaine Naples, who is chairing the birthday celebration for the Bicentennial Commission, is a history buff who for years has researched the man born in Massachusetts as John Chapman and the influence he had not only on this area but also on the Midwest.
“My mission has been for almost a decade now to bring back some of the original history,” Naples said.
“This is a westward expansion story.
That’s why he planted all those trees. It’s part of our U.S. history as well, not just Crawford County.”
Naples, a Bucyrus native who now lives in Houston, Texas, is also collaborating on the design for a four-foot apple sculpture which, down the road, will be a showpiece in the green space of Norton Park north of town – one of the Commission’s legacy projects.
Persuader Performance Boats in Bucyrus, which made the fiberglass bratwurst sandwich for the Bicentennial’s kick-off event May 1, is casting the fiberglass mold for the sculpture Naples said, while Bucyrus Copper Kettle Works is crafting the apple’s intricate copper leaf.
The 300-pound sculpture, as well as the hybrid trees that will also be planted at the park, are being paid for by private donations, Naples said, and other work on the project has either been volunteered or funded through the Community Foundation for Crawford County.
Although it’s not an easy undertaking, she said the ultimate goal is to resurrect this chapter in American history for the sake of future generations. “My goal is for people to say, ‘Of course he was here. He was here on Finley Hill. We knew that all along.’”
“It’s just a way to integrate and have a story about the town. It’s a great fit, a great historical story for who we are today.”
The Flannel Fest runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Additional information on the city’s yearlong Bicentennial is online at bucyrus2021.com with a link to information about Johnny Appleseed under the “Community Connections” heading.