Food vendors, campers, bands and hundreds of people came together for one of Gibsonville's biggest parties of the year...Applefest.
Applefest was first created by Ronny Apple. It started out as a big party celebrating Apple's divorce. He continued to throw the same party year after year and eventually the event got quite the reputation. That's when Apple realized he had a great opportunity on his hands.
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"It growed so fast and so many people that started coming, it turned into a job." Apple said. "We figured if we was gonna do this we needed to benefit something."
Apple's current fiancee, Beth Robenstow, helped him transition the event from just a regular party to a benefit.
It was one of those situations where he said what can we do," Robenstow said. "He wanted to help the local community and then they found the Alight Foundation."
Last year the event raised $25 thousand and all of that went to the Alight Foundation. The Alight Foundation assists those with breast cancer in the surrounding area by providing both financial assistance for treatment and support groups.
Mary Gorrell Jones is the founder of the Alight Foundation and she described what Applefest meant to her.
"It's fun," she said. "I love music, music is healing and its all about having a good time and celebrating life, that's what we're here for."
Tickets to Applefest were $10 Friday night and $15 on Saturday. The event had five bands, food vendors and an assortment of blowups for kids.
While most of attendees were from the Gibsonville area, a select few traveled quite a ways to experience this annual event. Chris Asche drove all the way down from Chicago on Friday night to make it in time for Saturdays festivities. Asche explained that the reason he made the trek.
"Ive seen the pictures, I've seen the videos I figured you know what we couldn't miss it," he said. "It's worth the 715 mile drive to come down and support it"