Army of volunteers make pies for Apple Festival

SPRINGVILLE — Apples, flour, sugar and spices all combine to make a staple of the Apple Festival. However, the pies do not make and bake themselves.

So what does it take to make 800 apple pies for the Apple Festival? For the Springville Community Club and the Springville Mountain Lions it takes an army of dedicated volunteers, which in recent years has started to dwindle.

“It takes a lot of helping hands. This year it was really difficult to get workers,” said Sandy Whaling, publicity chair for the apple festival who added that the volunteers do not always have to be members.

“Anybody can donate a few hours,” stated Whaling.

The pies will be sold at this weekend’s 32nd annual Apple Festival in downtown Springville.

This year the festival will feature over 200 booths with categories like jewelry, crafts, books and much more. For more information visit http://springville.ca.us.

For two days volunteers roll, mix and fill various tins to make the apple pies at the Springville Memorial building which are sold each year. This year the club had to cut back.

“The cost of everything has gone up. Apples cost us 20% more than last year,” explained Whaling.

The ingredients for the pies include 1,800 pounds of Granny Smith apples, 250 pounds of sugar, five big bags of Splenda and 750 pounds of flour.

The process is somewhat of an assembly line as volunteers are stationed in different areas.

First, a sheet of plastic is set up on the stage.

“We use that as a counter,” stated Whaling. Then the dough is made, rolled out, and put in the pie tins. Meanwhile at another table other club members and helpers measure and mix the dry ingredients of flour, sugar and spices.

Once the apples and mixture are added in, another person adds the top, the butter and crimps the pies.

In the kitchen are three ovens, which can bake 38 pies at a time, which are manned by the men of the Springville Mountain Lions. Treasurer Jerry McCleary has been baking pies for the past 15 years and shares the art of a perfect pie.

“Ya need to know the proper temperature and time based on the type of the apples used. You’ll find it varies,” said McCleary who joined the group because he knew some of the members.

Once the pies are baked, they are cooled overnight and the next day are wrapped, tied and placed in a cooling room.

While some helpers like to change stations, many do not.

“Lots of people have their favorites,” said Whaling, who added that she helps out wherever she is needed.  

On each pie is an apple cutout or a star cutout. The former denotes if it is a regular apple pie and the latter is used to denote sugar free pies, according to Joyce Eshelman, Apple Festival event chair.

Eshelman has been volunteering since 1996 and enjoys the time she spends with her friends.

“It’s a great way to meet new friends and it’s fun working alongside one another,” said Eshelman.

Volunteer Norma Inabinette has been a Springville Community Club member for 12 years and finds volunteering to be rewarding.

“There is a great deal of satisfaction giving to others,” said Inabinette, who likes to crimp pies and added that her parents were always volunteering.

Pies made by both the Springville Community Club, the Springville Mountain Lions and the Springville Women’s Club will be sold at the Apple Festival.