Mountain, Apple festivals team up to make carnival happen in Tehachapi

Two popular Tehachapi events, the Mountain Festival and Apple Festival, are back this year after a hiatus in 2020. While there’s a slight change in plans for the Mountain Festival, have no fear — the Apple Festival has come to the rescue.

While the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce announced its Mountain Festival won’t have the usual carnival rides during the weekend of Aug. 20-22, due to the aftermath of COVID-19 and scheduling with the carnival company, the Apple Festival was able to snag the carnival rides for the weekend of Oct. 15-17, adding more fun and activities to its itinerary.

“When we learned that the Mountain Festival could not have the carnival during their regularly scheduled Mountain Festival and that the carnival was not available to Tehachapi until the weekend of October 15-17, the Apple Festival moved those mountains to change our festival so that the community and those surrounding us would have all the more reasons to spend time with us in Tehachapi,” organizer Linda Carhart said in a news release about the beloved Apple Festival.

The Mountain Festival will still hold its large slate of other regularly scheduled events for its weekend in August, including VFW live music and dinner, PRCA

Rodeo, Mountain Gallop 5K, Kids Clubs Pancake Breakfast, a parade, the Arts and Crafts Fair, live entertainment, and the Mountain Car Show.

“Thank you for your support and understanding and we look forward to seeing you at the Tehachapi Mountain Festival,” said a news release from the chamber board of directors and staff.

Meanwhile, the weekend of the Apple Festival will continue in

October with free entry, carnival games, apple bobbing, pie-eating and pie-baking contests, face painting, a petting zoo, and more.

Artisans and craft vendors will line the streets of Tehachapi with locally produced baked goods and apple-themed items.

The Apple Festival will also feature bounce houses with a $10 bracelet for the day, a beer and wine garden, as well as live music throughout the day, all of which

are amenities visitors and guests have come to know, love and expect from the event.

A portion of the proceeds from the day’s festival will also go toward benefiting several local charities, including the Tehachapi Lions, Warrior Football Boosters, Tehachapi Wrestling Club, Salvation Army Youth Program, AST, Windswept Ranch and more.

“We are proud of our relation

ship with the Chamber and with our community. Let’s all have a fun weekend at the Tehachapi Apple Festival and the Mountain Festival Carnival,” Carhart said in the news release.

For the full schedule of festivities and times at the Mountain Festival, visit tehachapimountainfestival.com/schedule.php, and for more information about the Tehachapi Apple Festival, visit tehachapiapplefestival.com.