A new chapter of an old tradition will be created in big copper kettles on the Mount Vernon square this weekend with Apple Butter Makin’ Days.
The annual celebration, now in its 58th iteration, has become a landmark event in the Ozarks fall festival season. Its success is seen through numbers as well as time: Local officials estimate more than 100,000 people will arrive for the festivities in the community of about 4,500 residents.
Guests come for the apple butter, which is cooked in big kettles on the courthouse lawn.
Making apple butter starts early during the festival. After it’s cooked in kettles on the square, it’s bottled and sold. (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce)
“Just like they did 58 years ago, guests can stir apple butter on the courthouse lawn where it's cooked in copper kettles over open fires,” says Brittni Bates, executive director of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. “There are three groups who make and sell apple butter every year: Mt. Vernon Christian Church, Round Grove Baptist Church and the Monett Lions Club. There isn't a standard process as each of those groups has their own unique recipes and their own processes.”
Apple Butter Makin' Days has been a staple in Mount Vernon, Missouri, since 1967. (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce)
There are other activities too, that throw back to its start and efforts to highlight local culture and history. There’s long been a pet parade, which comes back this year, and a husband-calling contest, terrapin (a type of turtle) races, "wiener dog" race, apple-pie-eating contest, music and hundreds of vendor booths.
Live entertainment is part of Apple Butter Makin’ Days. (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce)
Then there’s food – lots of food, ranging from kettle corn to apple dumplings, caramel apples, cheesecake, roasted corn on the cob, traditional faves like hamburgers and hotdogs and a whole lot more.
As one person puts it on Facebook, “Fantastic vendors and music; always a wonderful time!!”
They’re things that are fun, but benefit the town, too.
“Apple Butter Makin' Days festival is unique in that a majority of our food booths are operated by local churches, student organizations, civic clubs and other nonprofits,” says Bates.
“This festival is their largest fundraiser of the year, if not their only fundraiser. Proceeds made fund ministries, scholarships, student activities, travel costs to contests, community service projects and so much more.”
Each year, the festival features a queen competition. (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce)
It’s been so successful that the Lawrence County festival, located about an hour west of Springfield, has received consecutive recognition for 2023 and 2024 as the state’s “Best Festival” in Rural Missouri magazine.
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How the festival began
The apple butter is made in large kettles on the square. (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce)
The year was 1967 when the first Apple Butter Makin’ Days set the stage for a legacy that has since spanned decades.
“It got started originally 58 years ago by two businessmen. They just wanted to have a festival or some way to attract people to Mount Vernon,” says Mike Tebow, who volunteered with the festival for more than 30 years.
“It was mainly just cooking apple butter on the square,” he continues, speaking of those early years. “It was only one side of the square; just one street. Now it goes all around the square, plus three other streets.”
Of the hundreds of vendor booths, an emphasis is placed on local crafts. Bates says there are more than 285 vendors from all over the country filling more than 450 booth spaces. Demonstrations are encouraged, too.
Those approaches netted Apple Butter Makin’ Days with the state’s highest festival honor from Rural Missouri, beating out even the Missouri State Fair in 2024.
Apples grow community support
Parades, including one that features pets, are part of the festivities at Apple Butter Makin’ Days. (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce)
At the heart of those festivities are the apples, which remain a core focus of the festival.
“Large copper kettles, many of which are more than 100 years old, are placed on open fires hours before daybreak,” notes the festival’s website. “Then, apples which are peeled the day before, are placed in the kettles along with water, and the mixture is stirred with long wooden paddles to prevent sticking and burning.”
As the 12-hour cooking process comes to a close, sugar and spices are added to give the distinctive taste. Mid-afternoon, the apple butter is ladled into jars, sealed and sold.
And then, the people line up to buy those jars. In addition to the taste tucked inside the jars, the sale of the creation helps fund local projects through the organizations that make the apple butter.
“Aside from the monetary value ABMD provides our community, this festival unifies our town, brings people together, and – other than myself – is run solely by volunteers,” Bates says. “We contract out some services, but I am the only paid employee. To see a community come together to organize such a huge event is something I've never seen before. It's incredibly impactful and brings us all together to make it a huge success.”
Looking back at the festival’s past, Tebow points to traditions that have evolved yet endured. One example is the pet parade, which his father started in the 1970s.
Those memories have created a layer of nostalgia that not only makes the festival fun, but also meaningful for those with connections to the Lawrence County town.
“It’s a festival that I hope keeps growing because of the amount of people it brings to Mount Vernon,” Tebow says. “We have a lot of pride for this festival.
“It’s a Lawrence County event, it just takes place in Mount Vernon. And it does help our community.”