🍎 A World Without the Apple Festival | Part 1

During my first interview, I found myself searching for a way to get beyond favorite memories and traditions. I wanted to understand the emotional core of what the Apple Festival truly means to people.

Then I remembered something from my advertising career.

In 2008, I worked on a Burger King campaign called Whopper Freakout. The premise was simple: remove the Whopper from the menu and record people's reactions. Appreciation by deprivation.

So I borrowed the idea.

I asked each person I interviewed to imagine a world without the Murphysboro Apple Festival.

Many were surprised by the question. Some laughed. Others paused before answering. One answer ended in tears.

They simply couldn't imagine it.

The Apple Festival isn't just an event. For 75 years, it has become part of the identity of this community.