Can you really say you’ve lived in Ithaca if you haven’t waited in a never-ending line for hot cider donuts during Apple Fest? Not in my book. The line isn’t too bad, though, if you take the time to look around at your surroundings. And what a sight it is!
Stretching blocks, there are stands upon stands filled with everything you could ever crave on a crisp autumn morning. In one direction, you will see freshly squeezed lemonade, golden-brown pies, velvety fudge and apple-flavored anything you could possibly imagine. In another, you can find vintage jewelry, handcrafted soaps and bags, decorative glassware, used books and clothes and tons of funky trinkets and crafts. Some notable observations of mine were the rosemary ginger hot chocolate, a Ben and Jerry’s kiosk, caramel-covered grapes, and a stand called “We Sell Really Weird Stuff.” I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely lived up to its name. Also, apparently necklaces with antique pocket watches along the chain are in?
The smell of warm spices and earthy autumn air, fused with the sound of live music and the laughter of cider-buzzed attendees, perfectly encapsulates Ithaca’s annual celebration of the windy season. The Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival, also known as Apple Fest, takes place in the temporarily blocked-off streets of the Ithaca Commons and the surrounding downtown area. This year, the 44th annual Apple Fest fell on the weekend of Sep. 25 to Sep. 27, which also happened to be Cornell University’s Family Weekend. Families and friends gathered to experience over 100 local vendors, multiple stages of performers and food trucks with a wide variety of cuisines. Most importantly, Ithacan locals and Cornell students, although seemingly from entirely different bubbles for most of the year, come together for this shared annual tradition to honor the commencement of the new season.
The discrepancies surrounding Cornellians and Ithacans are generalizations that don’t apply to everyone in either group. Cornell students find ways to engage with the Ithaca community, and vice versa, but at the end of the day, the two groups live in their own worlds.
The population of Ithacan locals are often perceived as outdoorsy and alternative. Ithaca’s unpredictable weather is a determinant of fashion choices of residents, who wear practical layers and durable shoes. Additionally, locals have often been described as artsy, and even hippie, with many wearing thrifted and oversized clothes, graphic and vintage pieces or more unconventional styles. This relaxed aesthetic is often associated with an easygoing, independent attitude in the way Ithacans carry themselves.
Although they share the city, the style of Cornell students sharply disputes the general vibe of Ithacan locals. With most students paying over $100,000 in tuition to attend the Ivy League institution, the wealth differences between the majority of the student body and the general Ithacan population is evident. As scholars of an elite university, many Cornell students tend to dress the part. Often sporting luxury outerwear brands (shoutout Canada Goose), fitted clothes or matching sets and designer accessories and bags, Cornellians together become a blur of contemporary fashion trends and intentional glam. The calculated and self-aware approach to their appearance is associated with their perceived behavior, more status conscious and fast-paced, which carries a persistent restless and extravagant energy.
Despite how much the everyday lives of these two groups overlap, the stereotypes surrounding them make it hard to believe they share such close physical proximity. Although Ithaca is one city, the divide in energy, culture, style and intentionality of the two communities make it seem as if there were two. However, one weekend of the year, Ithacan locals and Cornell students alike join forces to endorse the city’s shared affection for the harvest season (and apples, of course). There is nothing like fall in Ithaca to make you fall in love with the picturesque city, and Apple Fest serves as the temporary bridge to the longstanding divide. As the collision point of the two networks, the festival holds a shared identity, while also celebrating the diversity of Ithaca as a whole.
Cider donut lines will pass, leaves will fall and seasons will change. Cornellians will graduate and move on, but one thing is certain: like clockwork, Apple Fest will serve as the reconciliation for all things Ithaca, giving every community a shared space to celebrate the place we all call home.
Maya Sperling is a member of the Class of 2029 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a contributor for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at mhs328@cornell.edu.
