The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce’s popular Applefest® event has been named to the list of the most profitable art and craft festivals in the country by an industry/trade magazine Sunshine Artist.
“When we started planning the 2023 festival, we knew it was going to be a big year because it’s our 40th event. Receiving this designation is another reason for the chamber members, CORE committee volunteers, and our entire community to celebrate,” Jodi Lewis, Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce executive director said. “We’ve always known Applefest was special. It gives us all a sense of pride to see that others recognize that too.”
“When we started planning the 2023 festival, we knew it was going to be a big year because it’s our 40th event. Receiving this designation is another reason for the chamber members, CORE committee volunteers, and our entire community to celebrate,” Jodi Lewis, Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce executive director said. “We’ve always known Applefest was special. It gives us all a sense of pride to see that others recognize that too.”
| Applefest was ranked 64 in Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best. The rankings are split into two categories – Fine Art & Design for events that focus on unique, fine-art pieces and Classic & Contemporary Craft for events that focus on traditional or modern craft and production work. Applefest’s ranking was in the Classic & Contemporary Craft Show category. To determine the 200 Best, artists cast ballots from February through April to nominate their highest money-making shows from 2022. |  |
“One of the unique aspects of this honor is that it came to us by way of the festival vendors,” Lewis said. “We work hard each year to balance the type and number of offerings at the festival to maximize the experience for visitors, food vendors, crafts, and other participants. This ranking lets us know we are doing something right.”
As part of the nomination process, Sunshine Artist asks respondents to list the 10 most profitable art and/or craft shows they exhibited at during the previous year, indicate their level of gross sales at each event, and note whether they considered themselves fine artists or craftspeople for each event.
The results were tabulated using a weighted scale based on four sales levels to ensure all events competed against each other fairly, according to the magazine. Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best focuses solely on artists’ show revenue, because that is the most objective indicator of a show’s future success. Subjective attributes, such as artist treatment, amenities, attendance levels, management, and overall quality, can impact sales but are harder to gauge and therefore have no direct bearing on the rankings.
“We are headed into the busiest time of the year for Applefest preparations, and have some wonderful things planned to mark our 40th festival. We hope everyone marks their calendar for October 6, 7, and 8 and comes to Franklin for the ‘Best Three Days!’ There is so much to celebrate this year,” Lewis said.
As part of the nomination process, Sunshine Artist asks respondents to list the 10 most profitable art and/or craft shows they exhibited at during the previous year, indicate their level of gross sales at each event, and note whether they considered themselves fine artists or craftspeople for each event.
The results were tabulated using a weighted scale based on four sales levels to ensure all events competed against each other fairly, according to the magazine. Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best focuses solely on artists’ show revenue, because that is the most objective indicator of a show’s future success. Subjective attributes, such as artist treatment, amenities, attendance levels, management, and overall quality, can impact sales but are harder to gauge and therefore have no direct bearing on the rankings.
“We are headed into the busiest time of the year for Applefest preparations, and have some wonderful things planned to mark our 40th festival. We hope everyone marks their calendar for October 6, 7, and 8 and comes to Franklin for the ‘Best Three Days!’ There is so much to celebrate this year,” Lewis said.
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Applefest® is an annual festival organized by the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce through the work of the CORE committee, the best volunteers, and with the financial support of numerous area businesses. The festival includes more than 200 craft and food vendors, three days of live entertainment, the area’s largest car show, and other special tours and events. Find out more online at franklinapplefest.com or by following the festival on Facebook at @ApplefestFranklinPA.
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