Apples for fire protection — New Harmony festival boosts funds for volunteer fire department

NEW HARMONY — Residents of New Harmony in Washington County will raise funds this weekend for the local volunteer fire department, as they have for the past 28 years: by selling local apples.

The New Harmony Apple Festival is the town's largest fundraising event of the year, Sonia Steer, New Harmony Fire Association chairwoman, said. The town, which has 252 residents, according to recent data, began the event to let local farmers sell their apples, she said.

"Mayor Prince is one of the first people that started it," Steer said. "Apples are one of the main crops in New Harmony, and they were just looking for a way to sell some of the apples and get the community together and then maybe do a little fundraising."

Steer said 100% of the proceeds will go to the fire department, which consists of two stations off Interstate 15 exits 40 and 42, adding that they traditionally raise close to $12,000 each year after costs.

"We have approximately 20 volunteers at this time, and we cover about 51 square miles in our community," Steer said. "We also cover about a 10-mile stretch of the I-15 freeway. In the winter, we'll see even a little bit more coverage with ice and bad conditions."

Because the fire association is run entirely by volunteers through a nonprofit organization, Steer said events like these are critical to keeping the department running.

"Our main focus really is fundraising, community education, providing safety equipment, purchasing vehicles, and helping with training for our volunteer fire department," she said.

Traditionally, all the apples sold at the festival have been local, but Steer said that because crops in the area were hit by frost, this year's apples will come from farms in northern Utah.

"We're going to have approximately 80 local vendors, a DJ, and the whole park is going to be filled with inflatables for the kids to enjoy," she said. "We will also have a big bake sale and a silent auction and a raffle. ... It's great for our community to support these small businesses for a good cause."

The festival runs Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the town park off exit 42, west on state Route 144 heading into New Harmony.

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