By Alan-Michael Steele
BELLEVILLE – This year Brighton’s Applefest is welcoming a very special guest.
On Friday night at 6 p.m., Canadian blues artist Colin James will be performing live at the King Edward ball park diamond. Applefest has had live music before, but mostly smaller acts. Colin James’ performance will be accompanied by Mad Man’s Windows, an east coast band, as an opening act.
Christine Waterford, the co-coordinator and chair of Applefest, said that the event is expected to draw 3000 guests on it’s own, and urged people interested in seeing the performance to purchase their tickets online.
Colin James, an accomplished blues artist, will be performing at Applefest on Friday night. Photo by Christine Waterhouse, Applefest Co-Ordinator & Chair
Thursday marks the start of this year’s Applefest, a yearly festival in Brighton held on the last full weekend of September to celebrate the harvest of apples from many surrounding orchards. The festival is set to take place over the entire weekend, ending on Sunday.
Applefest started back in 1975 as a small fair to highlight the products of local farmers, primarily apple products. Over the years, it’s grown to become Brighton’s largest yearly festival, expecting to bring in 10,000 to 15,000 guests over the course of the weekend. Waterford described the event as “Brighton’s homecoming.”
The event draws in tourists and many former residents returning to visit. Shuttle buses are being provided on Saturday, the busiest day of the event to help manage crowds and parking.
While Colin James’ concert is a paid event, the other attractions do not have an admission cost. Saturday is planned to be the biggest day with a street fair, car show, and the Lion’s Club Children’s Village. Some smaller events are planned for the final day on Sunday, focused around the King Edward ball park.