August 11/12: This sweet little festival sometimes gets overlooked, but its worth checking out. Held in a cool grove at Ragle Ranch, they’ll have a tug of war competition, a singing competition to send a local to American Idol, and plenty of apple pie eating. One thing I’m especially excited about is a new micro-crafted hard cider called Tilted Shed. Made from locally sourced apples — some of which were gleaned from an ancient “Lost Orchard” owners Scott Heath and his wife, Ellen Cavalli found — they’re ripe, tart, crisp and very different from many of the commercial brands.
More details online: http://www.gravensteinapplefair.com/