Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® : Official Web Site

Some very interesting "quirks" exist in the spring calendar for the year 2011. As we all know, some very popular occasions in our lives are locked to a particular date, such as Christmas always falling on December 25th; and, of course the 4th of July. Other popular occasions have dates that change from year to year. The formula for calculating the date of Easter Sunday each year is very complicated and involves the Spring Equinox and the Lunar Cycle. Mothers' Day is simpler. It is always the second Sunday in May; but, that date changes from year to year. In 2011, these two popular occasions have some very extreme dating. Easter Sunday is just about as late in 2011 as it can possibly be, falling on the last Sunday in April: April 24th. In 2011, Mothers' Day is as early as it can be, falling on May 8th. Also, Graduation Weekend at Shenandoah University traditionally falls on Mothers' Day Weekend.

With the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival now stretching for ten days over two weekends and the week in between them, it is very difficult to place Festival dates in 2011 without interfering with the celebration of the Easter Season, the celebration of Mothers' Day and the celebration of Graduation Weekend at Shenandoah University. Festival Officials have labored with these issues. They have projected future dates to the middle of this century and have found that at no time in the foreseeable future will this dating problem occur again. They have met with local religious and educational leaders to work out the best compromise solutions and the following points are the result of this investigation.

For the year 2011 and that year only, the Festival's kick-off event, the Bloomin' Wine Festival, which would ordinarily have been held on Easter Weekend, will be moved back one week to Friday, April 15th, and Saturday, April 16th. Festival Officials felt that the event would have been too much of an impediment to the many, large Old Town churchs and their celebration of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. The event will be held on Palm Sunday Weekend; but, it will end Saturday evening before Palm Sunday morning; and, religious leaders felt that any production elements still present on Sunday morning [empty stages, empty tents] would not be an impediment to the Procession of the Palms to Court Square.
There will be no Festival events over Easter Weekend, April 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
The Festival will resume its regular schedule with the Pumps and Pearls Ladies Party at the George Washington Hotel on the day after Easter Sunday: Monday, April 25th.
The Festival will then run on to its conclusion with the Bluegrass Festival and the Sunday activities at Weekend-in-the-Park on Sunday, May 1st, thus avoiding conflicts with the Mothers' Day Celebration and the Shenandoah University Graduation the following weekend.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED that the Grand Feature Parade will be on Saturday, April 30th, this year, not the first Saturday in May as it usually is.

Questions concerning Festival dates for 2011 should be made by telephone to 662-3863, the number at Festival Headquarters in Old Town Winchester.

Tom Scully, SABF President
John Rosenberger, SABF Executive Director

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