Oxford prepares for 60th annual Apple Butter Festival

The Oxford Museum Association (OMA) is hosting its 60th annual Apple Butter Festival on Oct. 4-5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event will take place in Hueston Woods State Park at the Doty Homestead and will offer a look at what life was like during pioneer times in Oxford.

According to OMA president Bob Cermean, “Our mission is to preserve some of the historical sites around our community and provide some educational activities and events about the history of the community,” said Bob Cermean, president of the OMA. “We try to preserve some 19th century activities.”

The Apple Butter Festival is OMA’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and the tradition started with a simple demonstration of how apple butter would have been made in the early 19th century, according to Cermean.

“The demonstration consists of cooking apple butter in 40-gallon copper kettles,” he said. “That apple butter is being produced by our local eagle scout fraternity at Miami University.”

Cermean has been a part of the festival for the past 12 years, with each adding to the sense of community that he feels in Oxford. 

“It’s a way for us to welcome in the fall and hopefully have a nice fall outing,” Carmean said. “It draws a few thousand people for the event.”

The event will feature 75 vendors, who will be selling kettle corn, homemade funnel cakes, fall produce, handmade arts and crafts, cider, fresh apples, gourds, pumpkins and apple butter.

Live music will be performed from 10 a.m. until noon. After the performance, from noon to 1 p.m., Hueston Woods State Park naturalists will bring raptors for visitors to learn about. Finally, a bluegrass band will play from 2-4 p.m.

Other activities at the event include spinning and weaving demonstrations, blacksmithing and alpacas for visitors to meet.

Tickets for admission are $10 per car or $5 per adult. Children under 12 are free to enter.

More information can be found on OMA’s website.