The Nappanee Apple Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year! The festival is home to Indiana's largest 7 foot baked apple pie and comes out of the oven just in time to kick off the festival! In 2013, the Nappanee Apple Festival was chosen as #1 in the State of Indiana in the ?Top Ten Fall Festival Signature Food Items? for our 7? apple pie! Over 800 slices of pie is served to many visitors from around the United States who travel to Nappanee to savor their annual piece of this pie. The 40th annual Nappanee Apple Festival kicks off at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 17 and closes at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, 2015. Proud of our family-friendly atmosphere and Midwestern hospitality, the festival attracts more than 80,000 people annually and has become one of the largest festivals in the State of Indiana! The festival showcases two stages of entertainment, 130 craft vendors, 60 commercial vendors, carnival rides, parade with signature military aircraft fly-over, Miss Apple Blossom scholarship pageant, cornhole tournament, apple baking contest, garden tractor pull, kids and adult pedal pull contests, wings and wheels show at airport, 5K road run and half-marathon, apple peeling and pie-eating contests, and many more activities throughout the event. As a prelude to the 40th annual festival, a tractor and truck pull will take place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Callander Sportsplex. Nine classes of pulls will be featured in this 7th annual event. In the spirit of the celebration, you will find crates of fresh apples dotting the downtown sidewalks and more than 25 food vendors including many local non-profit organizations serving all your favorites. There will be plenty of your favorite fresh apple products including apple pie, apple fritters, apple dumplings, apple turnovers, apple fry pies, apple bread, applesauce, apple cider and apple butter to enjoy during the festival or to take home to enjoy later. We invite you to experience a truly unique hometown festival that will leave you marking your calendar to return for next year's festival! The Nappanee community is one of many unique stops along the Elkhart County Heritage Trail and was recognized by the editors of LIFE as one of the top 100 Places to See in Your Lifetime. For more information and lodging options visit www.nappaneeapplefestival.org.