News Maker Dario Savarese discusses free SABF events
News Maker Dario Saverese speaks with Scott Bradley about the quickly approaching Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival’s free events such as the Grand Feature Parade and the Friday night fireworks display.
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News Makers are sponsored by Warren County Together We are Community.
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SABF names Phil Glaize as Court Ambassador
The 96th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced that Phil Glaize will be joining the celebration as a Court Ambassador for the Coronation of Queen Shenandoah, Bella Astin.
The Coronation will take place at John Handley High School on May 5th at 1:30 pm.
Glaize is a Winchester resident who has managed Fred L. Glaize L.C for over 35 years.
His organization operates 600 acres of apple orchards, a cold storage facility, packing operations, and sales activities.
In 2022, he was acknowledged as the “Apple Person of the Year” based on feedback from his peers nationwide.
Glaize has also been affiliated with the Old Town Cidery and Rotary and is currently chair of Mt. Hebron Cemetery.
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Brian Sullivan selected as SABF Grand Marshall
The 96th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced Brian Sullivan as the Grand Marshall.
Sullivan is a 1989 Graduate of James Wood High School and anchor of CNBC’s 7:00 pm show “Last Call.”
He originally moved to the area in ninth grade and graduated from James Wood before attending Virginia Tech.
He has spent over 25 years in financial journalism and television and has been nominated for Emmys and the prestigious Loeb Award.
Sullivan will attend numerous festival events on Friday and appear in both Firefighters’ and Grand Feature Parades.
Along with the announcement of the Grand Marshall Apple Blossom Official announced the Store is now open for Official Festival clothing and souvenirs with hours found here.
Apple Blossom Ticket and events information is found here.
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SABF prepares to name Honorary Grand Marshals
As the 96th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival continues to draw closer, President Sharen Groomling will announce the two Honorary Grand Marshals this week.
On Tuesday at noon, the Honorary Grand Marshals will be announced at a press conference at The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
All are welcome as the festival recognizes two individuals who have dedicated their lives to making this community special.
Some of the previous Honorary Grand Marshals include the Winchester Police Department’s K-9 Kota, Wounded Warrior Capt. Leslie Smith, and former Senator Harry Byrd Jr.
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Sharen E. Gromling Elected President for the 96th and 97th SABF
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® Board of Directors unanimously elected
Sharen E. Gromling to serve as the organization’s President for a two-year term beginning on Monday,
June 27, 2022. Gromling replaces now Past President, Thomas (Tommy) Price who served as President
for the 94th and 95th Festivals.
Sharen has volunteered with the Festival for the past 42 years. She first started working with other
City of Winchester officials hosting the Mayor’s Luncheon held immediately before the parade at the
Jim Barnett Park War Memorial Building. Although this event is no longer held, for years it brought
Mayors from all over the region to our Festival to ride in the parade. Prior to becoming a Festival Vice
President she also co-chaired the Celebrity Luncheon which was held for dignitaries and celebrities
prior to the Grand Feature Parade and was the Chair of the Queen’s Dinner, an event that offered
attendees a look at the Queen Designate and her Court as they entered through a Sabre Arch and the
traditional cutting of the Queen’s Apple Pie.
When asked why the Festival is important to her, Sharen stated “For me it’s about the people. I love
seeing this community open its arms to people from all over who come together to celebrate the
apple industry and the beautiful blossoms. The happy look on a child’s face, the laughter of friends
and family coming together for a special moment in time, watching an army of dedicated, hardworking volunteers pull off this 40+ events, 10-day festival – that’s what makes the Festival special to
me.”
Sharen and her husband Tom, a local dentist, will celebrate 44 years of marriage later this month.
They have two children, 34 year-old Tim and 33 year-old Wendy. Tom and Sharen enjoy spending
time with their family and friends, traveling especially to Disney, running races and riding their tandem
bike. Sharen serves as the Executive Director of Our Health, Inc., a regional health and human services
nonprofit. Prior to this she served as the Director of Administration and Human Resources for the City
of Winchester for 30 years.
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NFL Legend Terry Bradshaw leads SABF
This year’s Grand Marshall for the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival was Terry Bradshaw.
He was excited to finally make it to the festival after originally signing on two years ago.
Bradshaw was impressed by the amount of Steeler’s fans in the area and has his own ties to the region.
His favorite song to sing with his daughter is “Crazy” by Winchester native Patsy Cline.
Bradshaw said, “we have been singing that song together since she was 3 years old but my daughter is a much better singer than I am.”
The Hall of Fame quarterback reflected on his career and said what he is most proud of are his four Super Bowl victories.
“Anybody can have stats but to be a great quarterback you have to win,” said Bradshaw.
He then went on to discuss some of his favorite quarterbacks to watch play currently, “Tom Brady, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and Matt Stafford have the stats and can win.”
When turning his focus to the newest Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett he said, “I got to speak with him the day after he was drafted and congratulated him. Pittsburgh is a great franchise and will put him in a position to succeed. It’s the perfect fit. He’s smart and competitive.”
Terry also believes that Carson Wentz should succeed in Washington with the Commanders, “as long as he gets protection. He was unfairly criticized after his injury, but I am rooting for him. He’s a good person and I like to root for good people.”
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SABF Country Music Party features local talent
Sam Grow and Ryan Jewell took the stage for this year’s Country Music Party for the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival.
The headliner, Sam Grow, returned for his third Apple Blossom but the first as the main performer.
Grow said, “The number one reason I wanted to come back is because of the people. These are amazing, salt of the earth people. When they called and asked me to headline, I was honored.”
Ryan Jewell, a Warren County High School alumni, was excited to return to the festival for his second year in a row. “I love having the event back at the Wilkins Center. The energy is much better this year with a full slate of events,” said Jewell.
Kara Britz, an alumni of John Handley High School, also graced the stage taking time out of her schedule which includes touring with former Country Music Party headliner Blake Shelton and backing up artists on The Voice.
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95th SABF is in full Bloom
We are in full Bloom here in the Shenandoah Valley as the 95th Apple Blossom Festival is here.
Today will bring us some of the marquis events like the Grand Feature Parade which will have bands from around the country, floats, and this year’s Grand Marshall Terry Bradshaw and Sports Marshall Julius Erving.
Then put on your dancing boots for the Square dance or the Country Music Party.
Bloomin Sunday will cap things off at the Frederick County Fairgrounds with fun for the whole family.
For a full list of events, click here.
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Pumps?
This one is for the gents. Tonight is the Pumps and Pearls ladies party at the Apple Blossom Festival. We all know what pearls are but pumps? According to Shoes History Facts dot com, the pump, or court shoe, came into fashion as part of the medieval traditions of the wealthy class of rulers and politicians in Renaissance countries like Italy, France, Spain and England, among others. Here in the US pumps for women usually have a medium or “kitten” height heel. The shape has varied through time but they usually have a closed toe and have a small vamp, that being the part of the shoe that covers the toes. Pumps can be made from any material, but traditional paten leather is popular. Pumps are mostly worn with a suit or a uniform, but are also worn with formal and informal dresses, skirts, trousers, and jeans. In the Regency Period upper class men also wore a form of pumps, or opera shoe. Today men’s pumps have been replaced by the Oxford. So men, when your lady sends you to her shoe collection to get her cream colored pumps, you’ll at least have a clue as to what you’re looking for. Oh, by the way, if it looks like a pump but has a strap across the instep, that’s a Mary Jane. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Devil’s Backbone releases Apple Blossom beverage
Devil’s Backbone released a brand new beverage for the upcoming Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival.
Apple Blossom Smash is now on sale at select local retailers and bars for a limited time.
The cocktail in a can is made with vodka, cranberry and apple juice and comes out to 7.5% ABV.
The tagline boosts putting the whole festival in a can so give it a try while it’s available.
Always remember to drink responsibly.
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