ACTON — The 22nd Annual Acton Apple Festival served up apple pancakes, apple pie, apple cider and a slice of hometown life Saturday.

“It’s just a fun day,” said Sandra Shields, who organized the events in the Acton Congregational Church, which included breakfast and the sale of homemade pies and pieces of cheese, cut and weighed to order off a cheese wheel.

Shields said she loves being part of the popular town wide event.

“Everybody seems to enjoy coming out (to the festival),”’ she said.

While some ate pie and watched the Pepper Steppers perform line dance numbers in the church, others browsed the craft and food vendors outside and in the Town Hall. Bargain hunters checked out items at the “nearly new” room in the church, the outside flea market, and at the Acton Public Library’s used book and white elephant sale.

Children enjoyed activities such as an ice cream eating contest, apple painting and crafts, and a visit from Johnny Appleseed.

“It’s a very good turnout today,” said Debbie Casey, one of the event’s organizers. She said she liked being part of a small town and that the event brought out many members of the community.

“You get to see all your friends and neighbors,” said Casey.

Sixteen-year-old Brandon Ouellette was one of those neighbors who got involved by taking a hit for the community, sitting in the “dunking booth” to help raise money for a proposed community event called Acton Pride Day.

By mid-day, although Ouellette had been dunked twice and was dripping wet, he was still a good sport.

“It was lots of fun. It’s for a good cause,” he said.

Paul Poyant was grinding and pressing Macintosh apples into cider at a cider making demonstration. He estimated that with the help of some “kid power” it took about one hour and one bushel of apples to make 100 paper cups of the fresh cider he was handing out to passerbys.

“It’s nothing but apples,” he told people as they sampled the fresh cider.

Poyant, who called himself “a dabbler” when it comes to cider making, said that he had been doing cider demonstrations at the festival for the past nine years. He said that making the cider is fun and he likes the opportunity to support the town.

Poyant said he liked the small town lifestyle of Acton and he liked the fair because much of the activities were free or for a good cause.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.