BURTON, Ohio — The day starts early for the volunteers at the Apple Butter Festival.
“We start with a mixture of Cortland and McIntosh apples, some cider, and labor,” said volunteer Nick Gorris. “Constant stirring. We don’t stop.”
Copper kettles greet guests at Century Village Museum this weekend as apple butter is brewed for the thousands that make their way out during this October weekend for the 78th Apple Butter Festival.
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The annual event serves as Century Village’s largest fundraiser and helps support the museum’s mission of preserving Geauga County history across its 62-acre campus and 36 historic buildings that were once scattered across the county and brought to the site to preserve them from destruction.
As News 5 reported in 2024, the property was struggling with maintenance issues and 15 liens. Treasurer Jim Vinecourt went as far as to say that without help, Century Village could have ended up going to the highest bidder.
RELATED: Donations needed to keep Geauga County's Century Village open and running
"If we don't get people aware, and people more interested and people more excited to come back, then we will lose it," Vinecourt said at the time.
Watch the original story from August 2024 here:
“I was well overwhelmed when I took over three years ago,” Vinecourt recalled. “It was a lot going on, and there’s still a lot going on.”
Still, he says the museum has turned a corner.
“We’ve come a long way,” Vinecourt said. “We’re getting some volunteers back, some donors coming back, and some roofs done. We’re starting to take care of the place again, and people are getting excited about coming here.”
The Apple Butter Festival continues Sunday from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Century Village Museum in Burton. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for veterans and seniors, and $6 for children.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
