From Staff Reports 

HENDERSONVILLE— The 77th Annual North Carolina Apple Festival — running Aug. 30-Sept. 2 —  will open with a street fair, including apples and other festival food, local handcrafts and children’s activities, along with live music.

In recent years, the festival has averaged a total turnout of about 250,000 people.

Opening ceremonies will be held from 2:15 to 3 p.m. Aug 30 on a special stage in front of the the Henderson County Heritage Museum (the former county courthouse) on Main Street downtown.

Musical headliners for each evening’s entertainment — performing on the aforementioned special stage — will be the following:

• Aug. 30 (Friday) from 6 to 8:30 p.m. — The Buddy K Big Band.

• Aug. 31 (Saturday) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. — The Catalinas.

• Sept. 1 (Sunday) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. — The Mighty Kicks!

Among the many other bands that will be performing earlier — in daytime — shows at the festival will be the following:

• Aug. 31(Saturday) from noon to 1:30 p.m. — The Super ‘60s band, playing pop, rock and soul music hits of the 1960s.

• Aug. 31 (Saturday) from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. — Sh-Boom, singing (in a cappella-style) hits from the doo wop genre, featuring rhythm-and-blues-infused vocal harmony from the 1950s until about 1963).

 â€¢ Sept. 1 (Sunday) from 3:30 to 5 p.m. — Free Flow, billed as “the guardians of funk” music.

Billed as the highlight of the festival — other than the much-sought-after Western North Carolina-raised apples — is the King Apple Parade, beginning (rain or shine) at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 2. The parade will proceed  from the Five Points area down Main Street through downtown. The other Sept. 2 major activity will be a mini-street fair — from 10 a.m. until the conclusion of the parade.

Festival attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Festival admission is free.