Nine-year-old Jenna Sparrow was handed a knife and instructed to get cutting, bringing a big grin to the Fort Langley youngster’s face.
Jenna was working alongside her older sister, Bella, 12, and her Nana (Linda), getting ready for Saturday’s Heritage Apple Day.
While she’s been a volunteer with the annual community festival at Derby Reach Regional Park since she was an infant, graduating from toothpick to cutting duties this weekend was a big deal.
• Click HERE to see more event photos
Her older sister has been part of the annual Apple Day festivities since she was two years old – and in particular they’ve all been helping serve up samplings of apples to the visitors for years.
It’s fair to say it’s become a family tradition for the Sparrows, Nana said.
“We love these community events. And we love doing it together,” said Linda, explaining that she initially became involved as a way of lending a hand to her friend and event organizer Sharon Meneely.
“We’ve lived in the village for 42 years. It’s our town,” Linda added. “This seemed like a great way of giving back.”
Heritage Apple Day is an event co-sponsored by the Derby Reach-Brae Island Park Association and Metro Parks that pays homage to a 150-year-old apple orchard that still exists within the park and – more importantly – the role that this fruit played in the community’s history.
READ: Apple Day offers taste of Langley history
At each year’s event from beginning to end, the girls volunteer at the sampling booth for much of the day but also take time out during the festivities to visit some of the other booths and exhibits, usually most engaged by some of the interactive displays.
Linda said one of her favourite parts of the day, besides meeting so many people, is listening to the fiddlers and other performances, including the interpreters telling stories from the Fort Langley National Historic Site.
“It’s a day about community, a day of falling in love again with our community,” Linda said.
“We were asked to be part of Apple Day, whatever we could do, and this is where we ended up and this is were we stay,” Nana said of the apple tasting station near the front gate.
“It’s very social, and I love interacting with people,” Linda added, noting that both girls look forward to the outing every year, usually asking when it’s coming up a few month ahead.
“I like this togetherness,” Nana said, giving each of the girls a hug. “I like that we can do this as a family. It really is a family tradition.”
• Stay tuned for a video from another Apple Day participant
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