Pie-eating and apple picking at Julian’s Apple Days Festival

By Vanessa Chalmers: Arts and Entertainment Editor

Since San Diego enjoys beautiful, sunny weather for the majority of the year, our city is forced to mark the seasonal transition from summer to fall in other ways: the autumn Starbucks drink menu (delicious pumpkin spice lattes return), temporary Halloween stores on every corner, and the town of Julian’s Apple Days Festival.

             Located in the rural mountains of San Diego, approximately 40 minutes from San Marcos, Julian, a historic gold-mining town known for its pie and hard apple cider, comes alive to boast its best asset to visitors from all over Southern California: apples. The Julian Apple Festival will take place on Oct.2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Menghini Winery and will feature dancing, music, a beer and wine garden, gold panning demonstrations, tractor displays, children’s activities, contests, apple pie, and the grand coronation of a Mr. and Mrs. Apple Days.

            According to the Julian Apple Days website, the festival is more than 100 years old, starting in 1909 as a celebration to mark the town winning the Wilder Medal, an award bestowed only to the highest quality fruit growers. Since then, the event has attracted over 3,000 visitors every year and its apples have upheld their award-winning deliciousness.

            Thinking of making your own apple pie this fall? Take some Julian apples home with you by visiting Julian’s Apples and Art Orchard. For $10 per bag, visitors can spend the day picking California-grown, pesticide-free apples straight from the tree, Johnny Appleseed style. Apples and Art Orchard requires reservations and is only open seasonally, but there are other orchards in and around Julian with more flexible availability. After an afternoon of apple picking, take those picks back to the Julian Apple Days Festival, where the first 500 visitors to attend the festival on Sunday, Oct. 3 will receive a free pie slicer. Hand picked apples and a free pie slicer are the perfect ingredients for homemade apple pie.

            The Menghini Winery is located at 1150 Julian Orchards Drive. Parking is free, but arriving early is recommended. Admission for the event is $5 for adults. Children 12 and under are free. Apart from the two-day Apple Festival, Julian will be hosting various apple-related activities throughout the months of September and October. For more information on the festival, apple orchards in Julian, and a list of events, check out www.julianca.com and www.julianappledays.com.