HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — On Friday, Aug. 29, the 79th annual North Carolina Apple Festival kicks off in downtown Hendersonville, just under a month away from the one-year mark of when Tropical Storm Helene devastated Western North Carolina.
Henderson County apple growers were heavily impacted by the storm, as many lost a major part of their 2024 apple crop, according to Apple Festival organizers. They’re hoping the festival, which runs Aug. 29-Sept. 1, will be another chapter in Western North Carolina’s Helene recovery.
“Tourism is always important to Henderson County, but it is especially critical this year following Hurricane Helene. Our farms that rely on agritourism lost their 2024 fall season, and the festival is a wonderful chance to support our apple growers and our community as a whole,” Summer Stipe, the fundraising and administrative coordinator for the Apple Festival told News 13. “The Apple Festival brings in thousands of visitors from across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee each year.”…