The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/festival/page/2/)
This story was conceptualized by Chris Bentley, Emily Cohn, Ben Eisen and Sarah Singer.
The scene was one of hazy euphoria. Tipsy townies swayed to the music of live performers alongside debauched fratstars, all under a bright blue Ithaca sky beside the waters of Cayuga Lake.
For a brief moment, it seemed, god was smiling down on our little hippy college town.
The 2nd annual Ithaca Brew Fest dawned dark, wet and nasty on a September day, a day that students and adults alike would usually spend indoors watching Project Runway reruns or getting their study on. But a select group of troopers — those tough-skinned Cornellians, Ithaca Collegians, townies and out-of-towners who possessed a legitimate (hopefully) driver’s license claiming they were 21 years of age or older, made their way to Stewart Park on Saturday afternoon to dance, taste and get their drink on.
“Never again!” said Jesse Simons grad, after participating in the 25th Annual Apple Harvest Festival’s apple pie eating contest. Simons ate eight slices of pie in two minutes, making him the winner of his round. However, he won’t be giving up apple pie all that soon.
“I think I’m eating more tomorrow actually, someone’s making me pie in celebration,” Simons said.
The Apple Harvest Festival began in 1983 and was first managed by Jean Demming, then Commons Coordinator. The festival, which ran from Friday to yesterday, took over the downtown Commons area with an array of food, music, dancing and, of course, apples.
“We have every kind of apple thing you could ever think of,” said Katie Clapp, events coordinator for the Ithaca Downtown Partnership.