For Gail Helton, the Apple Festival started with childhood memories—watching the parade from her grandparents’ house and dreaming of being one of the twirlers. Eventually, she was.

Gail is a close family friend—the kind you grow up calling “Aunt”—so this one was especially fun for me. And it seems fitting that so much of her Apple Festival story is about kids. She took pride in creating special festival memories for her own children and for her students, and in teaching them to appreciate their hometown traditions.

And here’s something you won’t hear in the interview: Gail’s fifth-grade classes came up with two Apple Festival themes. One of them, “Ripe with Possibilities,” went on to become the slogan for the City of Murphysboro.

Thank you, Gail, for sharing your Murphysboro Apple Festival story—and for always finding a way to get kids in on the fun.