Mars Applefest likely to continue as borough talks merger with Adams Township
MARS — After 41 years of Mars Applefest taking place in the borough, the event organizers doubt anything would change even if Mars merges with Adams Township.
Rick Shulkosky, the lead coordinator of Mars Applefest, said members of the Rich-Mar Rotary Club, the group that organizes the event, have talked about what would change if residents of the municipalities vote in November to merge them into one.
The answer: not much.
Because the club consists of people who live beyond its two namesake municipalities, and even after 41 years of Mars Applefest, the borough is packed so tight with people and vendor tents that everyone moves through the street at a snail’s pace.
“I don’t think after 41 years they would do away with it,” Shulkosky said. “All the vendors are so friendly and excited to be here.”
The event Saturday, Oct. 3, may have felt even more crowded than usual to attendees because the Rich-Mar Rotary Club added about 20 vendors to the roster, most of which filled in the parking lot of the Mars Area Public Library. Even with the extra vendor availability, though, Applefest’s organizers still had to turn some applicants down because of space constraints.
Shulkosky said the weather also plays a role in the number of people who show up, and estimated at around 12:30 p.m. Saturday that Applefest had already racked up attendance from about 10,000 people. He said the police estimated that about 12,000 people total came to the fest last year.
Lou Sigmund, the president of Rich-Mar Rotary, said the people are what makes Mars Applefest special.
“Coming into contact with all these people,” he said, “it’s the best part.”
A group of people, the Mars Youth Lacrosse Association, garnered quite a bit of interest at their booth near the Mars Area Public Library. Like last year, the group brought a dunk tank to the fest, which had the added twist of making players throw a ball at the target with a lacrosse stick, and it also offered small sticks youths could use to try the sport out on the parking lot.
Luke Liben, president of the Mars Youth Lacrosse Association, said the group attended Mars Applefest mostly to raise awareness of the lacrosse programs at Mars Area School District. It has about 175 boys, while the Mars Girls Youth Lacrosse Association has about 100 girls in kindergarten through eighth-grade, but Liben said there are still some families who are unaware of the program.
Additionally, bringing a booth to Applefest presented the opportunity for the associations to show people how the sport is played.
“The point of this is to show folks the way it is played and they can try it out,” Liben said. “It’s just raising awareness and us trying to publicize the program.”
Aaron Schultz was attending Mars Applefest for the first time Saturday, alongside his son, Sonny. Schultz said he recently moved to Mars, and has not been disappointed by any of the community’s events that he has attended.
“Been hitting local events like the parade,” Schultz said, “just really enjoying getting to know the community.”
