Inspired by my debut children’s book, Tell Me About Your Apple Festival, I created this series to capture the memories, traditions, and stories that have helped shape the Murphysboro Apple Festival over the last 75 years.

Former Apple Festival chairman Chris Naegele reflects on growing up with the festival, leading it for years and ultimately trusting the next generation to carry it forward.

Composer Tom Tierney shares the story behind “Appletime, Sweet Appletime,” the song that has become part of the Murphysboro Apple Festival soundtrack—and returns home as Grand Marshal for its 75th year.

Gail Helton shares a lifetime of Apple Festival memories—from her own childhood traditions to getting her kids in on the fun.

Peggy Strong shares the story of creating Captain Applesauce and the creativity that has connected her to the Apple Festival for decades.

The Apple Festival foods everyone looks forward to—and the favorites that keep people coming back year after year

What inspires someone to become Miss Apple Festival? For Izzy Doerr, it was the women who came before her and the "different kind of light" they carried. In this Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival interview, Izzy reflects on the mentors who shaped her journey and the privilege of representing Murphysboro during the festival's milestone 75th year.

Stan Graeff has been around for all 75 Apple Festivals. He shares a lifetime of memories and why the festival remains a tradition of family and homecoming.

Bob Chambers shares a lifetime of Apple Festival memories—from preserving the tradition of the festival’s screen-printed posters to volunteering and leading through Kiwanis—and what it means to play a hands-on role in keeping Apple Festival traditions going.

Volunteerism runs through Emily Eisert’s blood. She shares how her family’s dedication to the Apple Festival—and a dream she and her husband turned into Taste of Murphysboro—has created a new tradition all their own.

Retired Murphysboro firefighter Bobby Alexander leads the Grand Parade each year with the honor guard. For Bobby, the parade is personal—a story of service, family, community and, above all, honor.

Artist and illustrator Paula Maloney shares her lifelong love of the Apple Festival and the traditions she now helps carry forward.

Bert and Carolyn Ozburn were in high school when the Murphysboro Apple Festival began. Seventy-five years later, they reflect on watching something new become a lasting tradition—and part of their own family’s story on Walnut Street.

In the third and final installment of A World Without an Apple Festival, we hear the last answers to one question: Describe a world without the Apple Festival. Everyone answered differently, but few wanted to imagine Murphysboro—or a world—without it.

Born and raised in Murphysboro, Crimson Express band director Nick Williams still gets chills marching down Walnut Street with the hometown band. Now, he’s helping a new generation experience that same pride while carrying on the musical traditions of the Murphysboro Apple Festival.

Mike Garlinghouse wasn’t from Murphysboro when he began volunteering with the Apple Festival as a first-year teacher in 1968. He says he was hooked—and nearly six decades later, he’s still doing the logistical and physical work that keeps the festival moving. He may not have been born in Murphysboro, but he’s ours now.

For decades, Ken Carr has helped shape the sound of the Murphysboro Apple Festival. From being the original Captain Applesauce to leading the festival’s music and eventually passing his chair duties to his son, Bill, Ken’s story is one of tradition carried forward. He also arranged and plays piano on the version of Tom Tierney’s “Appletime, Sweet Appletime” heard throughout the Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival series.

Nichole Smelter sees the Apple Festival through her camera lens, capturing the traditions, memories and little moments of magic that make it special.

When asked to imagine a world without the Murphysboro Apple Festival, Andrew Erbes reflected on two moments when the world suddenly changed—September 11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. His answer reveals why, for so many, the Apple Festival is more than an event; it's a constant, a happy place, and a tradition that endures through life's most uncertain moments.

Long before Debbie Glodo helped organize the Murphysboro Apple Festival Grand Parade, she rode in it as a Miss Apple Festival contestant. In this Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival interview, she shares a lifetime of memories and the passion that has kept her coming back to parade day year after year.

Growing up on Walnut Street, Michael Ruiz had one of the best seats in town. From watching the parade outside his front door to later helping lead the festival as chairman, his story reflects a lifelong love for the traditions that have shaped generations of Murphysboro families.

For years, Mike and Tracy Bost's home on Walnut Street sat at the very corner where the Apple Festival Parade began. In this conversation, they reflect on growing up with the festival, raising a family around it, and how its traditions have connected generations of Murphysboro families.

Every summer, lawn chairs begin appearing along Walnut Street—weeks before the Murphysboro Apple Festival Parade. To outsiders, it may seem unusual. To generations of Murphysboro families, it's a tradition that represents something much bigger than saving a seat. In this special Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival feature, community members reflect on why those familiar chairs have become a symbol of belonging, home, and the traditions that bring us back year after year.

What happens when you ask people to imagine a world without the Murphysboro Apple Festival? In this special feature from Tell Me About YOUR Apple Festival, one simple question uncovers just how much the Festival means to this community.

Amy Mills shares how the Murphysboro Apple Festival has shaped every stage of her life, from childhood memories to carrying on new traditions through Faye.

Mayor Will Stephens shares his unique perspective on the Murphysboro Apple Festival—and why, for one special week each year, the city feels a little more like Christmas.

Andrew Erbes explains why the Murphysboro Apple Festival is "more than a reunion" and how his family's tradition of being involved has spanned generations.

A former Apple Festival Queen and now co-director of the Miss Apple Festival Pageant, Jessica White shares why this tradition remains the heart of the festival for her.

She’s the inspiration behind Tell Me About Your Apple Festival, and I love the way she sees the world.