I enter the Commons from Seneca St. and am immediately hit with the enticing, unidentifiable mix of aromas from a row of food vendors. Pushing through people carrying their own gourmet choices on paper plates, I am overwhlemed by the options--pumpkin curry from Taste of Thai, gumbo from Katy's Cajun, and of course, apple fritters, pie, cider, and cider doughnuts. 

I am speaking of the Apple Harvest Festival, or simply Applefest (held September 28-30), an annual celebration that brings food and entertainment lovers alike to the center of Ithaca. For this weekend, the Commons becomes a bustling street fair, complete with craft and food vendors, stage performances, and some more traditional festival touches (most notably, a ferris wheel and fun slide for kids). The entertainment ranges from belly dancers to jugglers, dixieland music to jazz, and a massive pie eating contest in the center of it all to top it off.

Walking in the center pavilion, a jam band called the HogWashers are entertaining an ageless crowd, who sort of dance to their own beat. It's charming in the way that no one seems to care about looking silly; they just have a good time. And this is what Applefest is all about; the crowd, even visitors, adopts the friendly, comradery that lends itself to Ithaca. That, or people are just too stuffed to care.