Tehachapi's Apple Festival promises a weekend of family fun and harvest goodness, Oct. 11-13

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Sign up for the apple pie eating contest.

There's a chill in the air and the leaves have turned to brilliant shades of red and gold. In Tehachapi, that means harvest season is here and the Apple Festival is close at hand.

This year celebrates the 11th year of the Tehachapi Apple Festival and the first year it will be organized by the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce (the same organization that hosts the Mountain Festival in August).

During the Autumn months on the mountain, apples, wine grapes, pumpkins and lavender are all harvested. Residents count the days until apple orchards open their gates and local farms get their tractors ready for pumpkin harvests. The first bites of crisp, juicy, sweet apples are just as delicious as the last bites at the end of the season. Apple Festival is an event to celebrate the mountain's bounty with baked goods, arts/crafts vendors, games, food, live music, line dancing, apple pie eating/baking contests, bounce houses and even a Miss Apple Festival Pageant. There will be a carnival with numerous rides, a Friday night concert and an Apple Festival Rodeo at the rodeo grounds. More than 10,000 people come to celebrate this special time of year in Tehachapi. Don't miss out!

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There will be fun for the whole family, including bounce houses.

Start your experience at the center of Green Street, where you'll find the booth for the Chamber of Commerce. There, you can pick up a scavenger hunt activity and a map/directory of the event. Complete the hunt and get a prize. Then enjoy shopping at more than 100 arts and crafts booths. Let the kids bounce to their hearts' content in the Fun Zone at the Railroad Depot Museum. Indulge in apple cookies, cakes, muffins, pies and so much more. Grab a hot bite at a wide selection of food trucks. Face painting, games, old fashioned apple bobbing and more will be available each day. Tap a toe or two with bands like Flashback, Journey in Time, Just Us 4 Singers, Mean Gene Band, Alison Reynolds, Aerial Garden, Elvis and Others, Jaret Miner and many more at two different stages. Get your boots moving with Boot Boogie Babes and Heart & Soul Line Dancing on Saturday. Finish off the weekend with the Apple Drop hosted by Tehachapi's Lion's Club and Rotary Club. There's so much to enjoy for all.

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The Apple Drop is hosted by Tehachapi's Lion's Club and Rotary Club.

Admission to the Tehachapi Apple Festival is free, promising an inclusive and vibrant atmosphere for all. On behalf of Tehachapi, the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to experience our harvest season.

For more information, including a detailed schedule of events, visit http://www.tehachapiapplefestival.com or follow @tehachapiapplefest on Instagram and Facebook.

A special thank you to our Golden Apple Sponsors Terra-Gen Operating Company and WM for continuing the tradition. WM is the official sponsor of the kid's bounce house fun zone! Thank you to our Harvest sponsors, Rio Tinto US Borax and the City of Tehachapi for making it possible to have this event in the heart of Tehachapi. Thank you to the Semerenko Team for being our balloon sponsor this year. Be sure to stop by their booth to get a special apple balloon. Thank you to Westlane Brewing for being our Beer Garden Sponsor and Singing Apple Sponsor. Thank you to our community partners, The Loop newspaper and Tehachapi Cement for your unwavering support.