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THEY say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but what about a few thousand?
Well this weekend the people of Tallong will find out.
On Sunday, hundreds of visitors will descend on the normally sleepy village, which will be transformed into a culinary wonderland of pies, crumbles, cider and just about anything else you can make out of apples.
The Tallong Apple Festival has grown tenfold in the last few years, with record numbers passing through the gates each consecutive year since its inception.
And, organisers expect this year to be no different.
“People come and go throughout the day and we’re expecting big numbers,” publicity coordinator John Lombard said.
“All reports of last year said it was a fantastic success and with more things on the card this year, we can only imagine.”
The festivities will begin at 9am with an opening ceremony, which will be followed by a full day of family orientated fun.
“There are various competitions in place on the day like the shrunken apple head where people carve anything from an apple,” Mr Lombard said.
“We also have a pie eating competition where people have to eat two apple pies as fast as they can without leaving any crumbs behind.”
This year will also see the inception of the Apple Granny of the Year, which will see one of the region’s nannas reign supreme after being nominated by their adoring grandchildren.
The festival will also feature archery, market stalls, raffle and a vintage car and farm machinery display.
All proceeds from on the day will be injected back into the Tallong sports club, local public school, Rural Fire Service and the church. For more information visit: tallong.
com.au/tallong_apple_day_fe stival
Coming up pumpkins
If fresh produce is your forte but apples aren’t you can always drive 20 minutes up the road to the Collector Pumpkin Festival.
As the regions pumpkins head to the boxing ring for another heavy weight championship, organisers have warned competitors could reach a whopping 420kgs.
Last year, Ken Ryan from Towrang KO’d the competition when his giant pumpkin weighed in a hundred kgs heavier than his opponents.
With $1000 on the line for the winner president of the festival Gary Poile said this year’s festival is going to be bigger than ever.
“When people walk through the gates they can expect a pumpkin extravaganza,” he said.
“Everything and anything to do with pumpkins will be here at Collector.
“This is the time for the village to really show what living in a rural community is all about.”
Visitors can expect a menu of pumpkin pie, scones, cocktails, jam and even ice-cream.
Kids will be kept busy with pumpkin carving, scarecrow making and wheelbarrow races.
“We keep it simple here at Collector and don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Mr Poile said.
“The Pumpkin Festival is all about a rural community and about people coming out and having a good time.”
More than 5500 people walked through the gates last year and a similar crowd is expected to dawn upon Collector again on Sunday.
With events set to start a 9am Mr Poile said people should come early to secure their tickets. And for those keen to get in on the pumpkin growing action Mr Poile said there are a few simple tips.
He said make sure seeds are in and planted before the last frost of the year, just before Melbourne Cup Day.
Plenty of fertiliser, water and sunlight will do the trick as long as they’re off the vine before the cold snap turns on Anzac Day.