Michigan Apple Committee Official Blog

What an exciting Fall this is becoming!  On September 27^th I had the opportunity to visit Legoland in Schaumburg, IL to promote Michigan apples to the young visitors and their parents.  Legoland is certainly a “made for kid’s” paradise and I can’t think of a better place to add the perfect finish to a day of fun  with a wholesome, healthy Michigan Apple!!  The kids and parents alike loved the Gala apples that were generously provided to hand out.   The parents were also interested in the recipes and information we had for them while their children loved getting their pictures that Denise was taking with her “magic” Polaroid camera for an instant souvenir.  I was enchanted with little children coming back to see me after they had made apples and hearts out of the crafts we gave them and offering them to me as “presents”. They are precious.

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Sparta’s Harvest on the Ridge Apple Festival

On September seventeenth, I attended Sparta’s Harvest on the Ridge Apple Festival. While there I was asked to hand out Michigan apples including some Honeycrisp, Cortland, McIntosh, and Gala to the delight of the festival’s participants. One of the highlights of the festival was watching many of the children bob for Michigan apples and once success was achieved to see the triumph on their little faces!

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On Saturday September tenth, it was a beautiful day for Robinette’s to begin their one hundredth anniversary celebration! When I first arrived at Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery I was told of different activities around the property including a horse-drawn hayride, a corn maze, a jumping pillow, wine-tasting, and a scavenger hunt!

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Alyson Wendzel – 2011 Michigan Apple Queen

This Saturday, I attended the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven. I was honored to be able to participate in a festival that honors the men and women that have risked their lives in the United States Coast Guard.

It was raining as we made our way to the line-up of the parade and it didn’t look like it was going to end anytime soon. I still found it enjoyable as I walked around and was able to meet the other queens accompanied by their courts, parade entries, and service men and women, but while doing so the bottom of my dress became damp. Suddenly my parade experience for the day was in jeopardy!

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On Sunday July Thirty-first I participated in the Monroe County Fair Parade. Before the parade began, I met Miss Michigan. As we began talking we found out we have many things in common the best of which was we both love Michigan Apples!  I proudly presented her with a Michigan Apple pin to wear on her sash just like I wear on mine.

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Hillary Heeren – Michigan Apple Queen Court

On July sixteenth, I attended the Sparta Town and Country Days Parade. The Village of Sparta holds a special place in my heart because it was where I attended school. I still have fond memories of participating in the homecoming games in which the four high school classes fiercely competed for the “Red Apple” trophy!

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Alyson Wendzel – 2011 Michigan Apple Queen

Apart from apples, cherries are probably my favorite fruit so I was very excited to be able to attend the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City last weekend. The festival was everything I thought it would be and more! The day of the coronation ball I was able to walk around and see what the Cherry Festival was all about. There were rides, games, and food stand after food stand filled with everything from just plain sweet cherries to cherry flavored beef jerky!  I really enjoyed the cherry smoothies though. That night my family and I attended the Cherry Queen’s Coronation Ball at the beautiful City Opera house. It was so exciting to see the new queen Jordan Bleaker crowned and hear about the exciting year she has coming up. At the ball I met other queens from all over the area and also service men. It ended up being a really fun night.

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Alyson Wendzel – 2011 Michigan Apple Queen

Hello everyone!

On June 12, I traveled to Frankenmuth, Michigan to attend the Bavarian Festival. It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of people of all ages attending the parade. There were also a lot of people in lederhosen and dirndls which would be funny to see on any normal day but not at this festival!

My day started out with an authentic German breakfast at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. Although the food differed a bit from what I am used to for breakfast, I loved it just as much! After that we made our way to the parade route. I met so many different queens from all over such as the blueberry festival queen, the Bavarian Festival Princesses, and even the Bean Queen! I also was able to meet a lot of younger kids who were all very excited to wear Michigan Apple stickers and also to tell me about their love for apples which I was pretty happy to hear.

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Rockford Summer Celebration

On Saturday June 11th, I attended the Rockford Start of Summer Celebration Parade. I was very excited to participate in the parade held in my hometown. The day was cloudy but thankfully no spirits were dampened and the rain held off until after the parade.  While on the parade route I heard many times how much Michigan Apples are appreciated, “We love Michigan apples!” Hearing the love of Michigan’s apples never gets old!

I was able to meet with many people while downtown. I also had a few different people tell me they buy our apples. The children were very excited to receive a Michigan apple sticker. The older kids liked to tell me their favorite kind of apple.  Red Delicious and Honeycrisp were the most popular varieties. Overall the day was a brilliant success.

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On Saturday May fourteenth, I went to Holland to experience the Tulip Time Parade. I was surprised by how many people were there especially since it was a very cloudy and cold day. With so much going on before the parade I was able to walk around and meet lots of people.

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