Fruit Farm

Thirty years ago several of Bridgeville’s finest began discussing ways of promoting the town and the agriculture industry that is so prevalent in western Sussex County. After tossing ideas around, this clever group of people came up with …. a festival!!

It would be held in the small town of Bridgeville on the second full weekend in October, that includes a Friday. Now, what theme would best represent Sussex County and in particular, Bridgeville? Apples and scrapple!! Keep in mind that the 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are celebrating our 30th annual Apple Scrapple Festival in 2022.

Some of the best apples around are grown nearby at T.S. Smith and Sons Farm and since agriculture is a leading industry in the area, it seemed like a good idea to showcase them. It’s hard to drive through Bridgeville during the summer and NOT notice the distinctive smell of scrapple being processed. RAPA Scrapple was incorporated in 1926 and has been producing those tasty blocks of scrapple ever since. So… the Apple Scrapple Festival was born.

The Festival still has many of those original founders working year round, organizing the entertainment, food court and vendors that flood into town on that weekend each year. These volunteers hold regular jobs and work to promote the festival in their spare time.

“Apple Scrapple” has grown from 2500 visitors in 1992 to over 20,000 now and was incorporated in 2002. It has become a major fundraiser for local community organizations and helps elevate awareness of the agricultural profession in lower Delaware.

Festivities begin at 4:00 pm on Friday evening with the carnival, food court and street dance. Things start up again on Saturday morning with carnival rides, kids’ games, live entertainment, car show, trade show, two craft shows and and deliciuos food vendors, including apple dumplings, scrapple sandwiches, oyster sandwiches, hamburgers and hotdogs, barbecue beef sandwiches, ice cream and much more.

There is something for all ages and all appetites at this exciting event, which begins at 4:00 pm on Friday afternoon and runs until the entertainment is over on Saturday evening.

Be a part of all the excitement that IS the Apple Scrapple Festival!

Planning meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, March through September at 7pm in the Bridgeville Library meeting room.