From Staff Reports

HENDERSONVILLE — Orchard Trail Days will be held over Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 4-7, to launch the 2020 apple season in Henderson County.

The event is being held in lieu of the annual North Carolina Apple Festival that is held over Labor Day Weekend in downtown Hendersonville. The festival, which usually averages 250,000 attendees, was canceled in 2020 because of safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The apple harvest season begin in August and runs through mid-November,” a press release stated. “During the weekend, many of the (Henderson County) orchards will be offering crafts, family fun activities such as corn mazes, apple cannons, inflatables, wagon rides, food trucks and tours.

“Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, the seventh-largest grower in the U.S. Henderson County growers produce 85 percent of North Carolina’s apple crop, generating about $30 million to the local economy.”

Further, the release noted, “Orchard Trail Days will follow federal- and state-mandated guidelines for cleaning, social distancing and limiting crowd size. The self-guided Crest of the Blue Ridge Orchard Trail brochure allows you to have the flexibility of mapping out your own route by starting at the business of your choice.” The brochures are available at the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., or may be downloaded at visithendersonvillenc.org/business-categories/apple-orchards